


Love Is Still The Key

by DisneyBroadway123



Category: Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Manga Spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 122,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25711576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyBroadway123/pseuds/DisneyBroadway123
Summary: Fumiko Sohma has always grown up knowing that she would never be wanted by anybody that wasn't her father Hatori, her brother Momiji or her uncle Aya. After she moves in with her second uncle that she isn't as close to due to a bad encounter with Akito her life changes and she learns that she is indeed worthy of love by our favorite resident chaotic cutie Kakeru Manabe. (Title taken from Flying Dreams from Don Bluth's Secret Of Nimh.)
Relationships: Kakeru Manabe Original Female Characters





	1. Chapter 1

_ My name is Fumiko Sohma and I am the daughter of the doctor of the family and his ex fiancé Kana Sohma. My dad, Hatori, was often busy because of life problems and dealing with Akito’s sickness. There was a little girl named Lin who was sick almost to the point of it being terminal who was adopted by Shigure when she was three years old. Ever since then she has been like my little chick following me around everywhere I went since I was the only one really allowed to go to and from quarantine. It was one of the few things that I could do that made me happy reading to other people and keeping them company. The only other one that I was spending the most time with was my cousin Yuki who I would grow to see as a brother figure in my life. He would ask me questions about things that I never really thought about, parental love and why his mother never came to visit him. It broke my heart to see him so dejected that I got to spend time with his brother and he never really did. It caused him to lash out at me claiming that I had the “perfect life” that he couldn’t have. That couldn’t have been more wrong though. The reason that I spent so much time caring about other people was because I was sick and tired of getting hurt by the adults around me who talked bad about me. They called me the whore that shouldn’t have happened to my dad since my mom was apparently a “whore”. They told these things to a girl who wasn’t even five years old yet so I just became accustomed to it. I had other friends so I wasn’t always visiting Yuki or Lin. I had my cousin Kyo who was basically my best friend in the entire world. We understood each other probably more than most other people would because we were both outcasts that shouldn’t have really happened. I was the spirit of the otter, something that skips a generation but is considered just as bad if not worse than the cat. Once Kyo figured this out even at four years old he promised me that he would never let me be truly alone and attached himself to my side. This resulted in obvious problems with Kagura, the girl that had claimed him her betrothed. She hated me from a very young age and claimed that I was taking Kyo away from her as it were even though I found the whole perusing relationships in the family to be rather disgusting. Not that she believed me when I told her that. I wasn’t that close to many other people aside from him but there was one other on the inside that wasn’t a father figure in my life that I absolutely adored my cousin Hatsuharu. Haru was the cutest thing when we were kids and I always had to walk hand in hand with him otherwise he would wander off and get lost. He asked me one day if I could bring him to quarantine so that he could meet Lin and I figured out a way to get him past the adults that were in charge of watching over her. They became the two closest friends that I could have ever imagined and he was able to get through quarantine on his own. I was not expecting for them to become such good friends but when it did happen I thought that it was the cutest thing and so did my little brother Momiji. I have a little brother basically who my dad all but adopted after my dad had to wipe his mom’s memory’s. He still has a relationship with his dad but it’s not really that close since he now has a daughter with his mom. When that happened my dad all but adopted Momiji which worked for me because he was already basically my younger brother. When I was nine I got into a massive verbal blowout with Yuki. He called me out claiming that I had the perfect life and that I had no idea of his pain when I tried to comfort him after a confrontation that he had with the family head Akito. He called me a whore and that was when I stopped being close with him. I never told him how much those words hurt me but hearing them come from somebody that I thought I could trust broke me up inside. For the first thirteen years of my life I had no interactions really with the head of the family Akito. I knew that he existed and everything and I exchanged pleasantries with him and he seemed fine with my existence. It’s why I was really happy when he invited me to come and have a meeting with him. Haru told me that he would wait outside for me and I thought that he was just being really overprotective over me. For the first few minutes everything was fine. He asked me how my school work was going, if I was making friends and how my training in karate was going. Then all of the sudden it was like he snapped. It was all over after that. He shattered the closest vase to him into tiny pieces that hit my arms in various areas and took one of the bigger chunks and just started to hack at my cheeks, nose and forehead. He told me that I was nothing but a whore, a burden on those around me and the worst thing of all, that my dad didn’t really love me but was really just trying to atone for his worst mistake meeting and falling in love with my mother. It made sense to me in that moment everything just made sense. Haru came crashing through the door right as I reverted to my land otter form. He carried me to my dad where I was bleeding and an absolute disaster and my dad looked at me with this expression of surprise and barely concealed rage. He asked Haru to tell him what happened and I was too busy in this state of horror that what just happened to me did in fact happen. I spent a month in my animal form and I haven’t been able to transform since. My dad said it was because Akito broke me and I’ll never be able to transform again. I haven’t been able to speak since that happened and it was two months ago. He told me that I’ve locked all my words away and that he can’t help me anymore not until I’ve unlocked my words again. He sent me to my uncle Shigure’s house to try and get me better but I didn’t know if this was going to work. He didn’t know what happened to me since he hasn’t been back for four months. The only other person that knew was my uncle Ayame. The second he heard he ran in like a superhero and started fussing over me in my otter form. I had to have a lot of stitches once my dad got me to change back and then I was stuck in that form for three more weeks. I love my dad more than anything in the entire world but he just wants for me to get better and this is not really his venue. He thought that it would be best if instead of living at the main house after this adventure that I would join my cousins Yuki, Kyo and Lin as well as her dad my uncle Shigure. I hadn’t seen Yuki since I was nine and we had that fight. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to fit in anymore. I had missed Kyo more than anything in the world since he never visited aside from going to sensei’s and practicing martial arts. Going into this I wasn’t expecting anything much less meeting somebody that would come to be the person to give me back my voice and my love of laughter as well as the three best friends that I could ever ask for.  _ I saw my uncle’s house where Lin was staying with him since she had gotten a little bit better and didn’t need to get quarantined anymore.

“I’m sorry that I have to do this to you Fumiko but I really am out of ideas. Maybe being out here and starting at a new school you’ll feel better. This is not really my area and you won’t tell me what’s wrong sweetheart. I know that it’s not your fault but I can’t know what happened until you tell me.” My dad broke the silence in the car and I sighed a little bit turning my head so that I could look out the window.

“This isn’t like you Fumiko, you're not the type to just lock your words away from a little injury. I can’t know unless you tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours. Look, I’m sorry but this is what needs to be done. Maybe if you’re back around Lin and Kyo you’ll be able to tell them something.” My dad pulled up to the front of the house and I kept my eyes downcast not wanting to look at anyone right now for fear that they would see the big glaring scars on my face.

“Hello there Fumiko!! It’s lovely to see you, won’t you give your uncle a hug?” My uncle Shigure asked me and I did give him a hug as he pulled back from the hug lifting up my chin as his eyes widened.

“What happened to my sweet niece? Who did this to you? Was it Akito?” My dad sighed a little bit as he got me out of my uncle’s grip gently.

“She hasn’t spoken for two months so far, me and Ayame have tried everything to get her to but it just hasn't worked. It was Akito but that’s as much as I know because that’s all Haru knows. He heard the smashing of a vase and her screams and he rushed in there. I think that if he didn’t have to take care of her he could’ve gone dark further dark than he has ever gone.” My dad explained to him what he knew and my uncle just sighed a little bit. I heard the wheels turning from the kitchen and I knew that had to be Lin.

“Daddy do you have gummy bears?” She asked him and I could see the lines above my uncle’s face vanish a little bit.

“Sorry princess I do not have gummy bears, you might have to ask Hari though he might since we have the candy tax.” My dad reached into my backpack pulling out the bag of gummy bears and holding it above her head a little bit.

“Uncle Tori!! That’s not fair, gimme candy!!” She protested and I laughed a little bit at her. Even though I couldn’t talk that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t laugh for some reason I could make sounds but not any words in the actual English language. 

“Dad!! Is Fumi-chan going to stay with us for the time being?” She asked her dad animatedly having reached her arms up high enough for her favorite candy.

“That she is princess but treat her nicely. Your sister has been through a lot recently. Come right inside Kyo is at the dojo right now but he’ll be back in a little bit and Yuki is still at school.” My uncle told me gently ruffling my hair a little bit and I walked through the house wheeling my GIR luggage behind me.

“That’s alright isn’t it sweetheart? You’re going to be good for uncle Shigure right?” I nodded my head at my dad and hugged him tightly wanting to stay with him but knowing that this would probably be for the best.

“Lin, why don’t you take her upstairs to her bedroom? It’s right across from Yuki’s so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Her dad encouraged and I smiled softly at my little sister as she wheeled herself to the stairs.

“Why didn’t you answer your dad when he said to be good? You’ve usually started talking at this point and it’s not like you to be silent.” I got out my phone so that I could type a message my main way of communicating.

_ Something really bad happened with Akito obviously these scars didn’t come from nothing. I spent a month in land otter form and I can’t transform anymore. My dad said that the stress broke the curse since nobody had ever stayed that long in animal form once he gave me the stitches that I needed. My dad said that I’ve locked all my words away and that it’s up to me to get them back. That’s why I’m here because I asked him to take me here. He wasn’t getting any work done and I knew that Akito was getting angry and I didn’t want him to get hurt. I’m sorry to have this be dropped on you and you weren’t expecting me.  _ I let her read the message on my phone but I wasn’t expecting her to grab my hand to draw small circles into it.

“When did this happen?” She asked me and I showed her the two sign and made the sign for months since I had taught her and Haru basic sign language when I had lost my voice for a day during a cold.

“Does uncle Aya know?” I nodded my head, sighing a little bit falling down the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

_ He’s been trying to get me to talk again for the last two months. I’m scared Lin what if I never speak again? What if I’m just stuck like this for the rest of my life?  _ She shook her head at me, her purple hair going every which way.

“Don’t talk like that uncle Aya is usually right and if he says that you’re going to get better than you are. Maybe you just need something to speak for again somebody who’s not a member of the family a friend that will be there for you to listen.” I smiled softly at my younger sister who had been there for me. She pressed the ramp button on the bottom of the stairs and I walked with her up to my room. She opened the door and I walked through it seeing that it had already been painted. Uncle Shigure must have done this to try and make me more comfortable here. There was paintings of all my favorite cartoons in mural forms everywhere and it lightened my heart. There was a section for Invader Zim with the house and Zim on top of the house laughing evilly and GIR trying to imitate him, a section with the Warner siblings coming out of their water tower like in the opening theme and Pinky And The Brain painting right next to it, a section for Spongebob with him jellyfishing and Sandy doing karate since they were my two favorites, a Starfire and a Beast Boy from Teen Titans fighting crime and my favorite character transforming into different animals and finally a section for Lilo and Stitch the show with my favorite of the experiments Reuben making a sandwich using his brothers as a stepping stone.

“My dad had us help to make this room the most comfortable for you because he wants you to move in fully and just live here with the rest of us. You don’t have to if you don’t want to but you won’t be a burden or anything. Just get better for everyone’s sake I’m not used to you being silent it’s actually really quite terrifying. I know that it’s not your fault sis but you should at least try to unlock your words.” Lin helped me put my luggage onto my bed and helped me unpack everything. I put all my stuffed animals in a huge pile on the corner of my bed that had everyone there.

_ I’m going to get better for everyone’s sake. It just might take some time and I’ll probably never want to be left alone with Akito ever again at least if I can help it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me and why I can’t talk and I’m sorry if it’s a pain for you and that I’m not like how I used to be. I don’t deserve your kindness or uncle Shi’s at this point…  _ Lin smacked my lower arm harshly that caused my eyes to widen.

“Are you about done with the pity party? Because that is absolutely not true in the slightest of things. Yeah Akito hurts people, he hurt me remember? A vase to my stomach simply for not being a legitimate member of this family and being adopted. Sometimes the best people get hurt but it’s not their fault that they get hurt. It’s the fault of the person that did the hurting. You didn’t ask for Akito to hurt you. I know you wouldn’t do that. You work constantly running around taking care of other people and never giving yourself a moment's rest you’re like Uncle Tori that way. You’re my best friend but this is not like you. The Fumiko that I know wouldn’t get dejected because of one persons opinion. What exactly did he say to you?” I looked down at my phone and sighed a little bit for the first time telling somebody else what had happened to me in that room.

_ At first it started off all normal. He asked me how school was going, if I was making friends to which I said no of course because I didn’t like any of the kids there and they didn’t like me, how you were doing with your health, how Kyo was doing with his training and then something in him just snapped at the drop of a hat. Suddenly he’s calling me a whore, and said that the daughter of a slut must be a slut too. He told me that I should regret being born and that I was just a burden on everybody around me. That was all stuff that I had heard before though it wasn’t until he told me that my dad secretly regretted my birth and that he hated me that I started to freeze up. That’s when I screamed and Haru came running in to save me. I think that if it wasn’t for him having to worry about me he would’ve gone dark. It just made sense to me in some way and now he’s trying to get rid of me and drop me off here. I’m not blaming him if I had a child that wouldn’t talk for more than two months then I would think the same thing. Besides, who knows maybe I’ll be happier here and have more possibilities. I’m really fine I think. It’ll just take me a little while for me to say what happened to me out loud. _ I handed her the device so that she could read what had happened to me.

“I’m going to go and show this to your dad. He's probably been worried sick about you. Don’t you dare try and stop me, this is for your own good.” She told me and she wheeled out of my room before I could stop her or ask for my device back. I grabbed my stuffed seahorse that my dad had given tio me when I was born that was still half my size so it always made the perfect nightly cuddle buddy. I heard the footsteps of my dad and knew that I was toast. This was it he was going to tell me that everything Akito had said was true and he really didn’t want anything to do with me. 

“You are such a sweetheart I love you so much darling. I don’t care what Akito did to you or said to you I love you more than anything. Those things that he said don't matter to me. I could never, ever hate you my darling little girl. I want for you to be happy with your family. This is how we’re going to deal with this situation. You are going to stay here with Shigure for the time being because I want for you to be happy and nothing makes you happier than being around Kyo and Lin. Aside from maybe finding love one day which you will. I’m so sorry that I haven’t been around for much of your life. It’s not easy being the doctor of the family and I’m sorry that all of this happened and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. You are not a whore, you’re only thirteen you shouldn’t even know what the words whore or slut even are. Your mom wasn’t one either. I know that I don’t talk about her very much but she wasn’t anything like what the adults think she was. She would have loved you so much more than anything but it just wasn’t meant to be. I got you out of the bargain though and I wouldn’t trade being a father for anything in the entire world. I wanted you to come here because this would bring back the little girl that I loved.” I laughed a little bit at the end of the essay and I typed since I got out my computer because Lin still had my phone. 

_ I know you don’t care about what he said to me but those words still stung me. I thought that it made sense you know? I understood that you were a busy dad but I thought that at the same time it must be me right? You didn’t want to spend time with me and that’s what I thought. I think that I will be happy out here and get to start at a new school. I’m really excited about it actually!! I’ve wanted to live with uncle Shi for a really long time so I’m grateful about it. I understand that it wasn’t always easy for you to be the doctor of the family. You have to deal with Lin constantly coming in for appointments and Akito catching illnesses all the time. I know she wasn’t uncle Aya told me that she wasn’t a whore but only because he overheard one of the adults talking while we were out walking around the grounds together. I already feel like I don’t deserve the family members that love me. Hell I’ve spent the last two months with uncle Aya and that was amazing even though I could tell that it was exhausting for him. I do want to live here and I think that I’ll grow to be happy here. It’s my final year of middle school and I’m just glad to be out of that house.  _ My dad just smiled lovingly at me kissing my forehead gently and squeezing my hand gently.

“Darling it wasn’t too much for your uncle he loved having you. He told me to tell you that you can come over anytime and that you don’t even need to ask. Just come over whenever you need to and use the backroom. He’s just worried about you because you've not spoken for a long time and he misses your voice. I’m sure that you will get better soon though and when you do he’ll throw a party you know he will he is your favorite uncle. I should really get back to the estate. They don’t even know that I’ve left. I love you so much sweetheart. It’s all going to be okay and I’m not angry with you. This is not your fault and I will not be forgiving Akito for this. It wasn’t necessary or needed. Look at what he did to my baby girl.” I smiled up at my dad just shaking my head at him.

_ I’m doing a lot better dad I promise. I’m already better just being off that property and having my own space now. I’ll certainly take uncle Aya up on that and get better my birthday so that he would have an actual reason to throw a party. I have less than a month and I’ll be talking by then I promise. I’ll miss you daddy. Good luck and I’ll call you soon.  _ He kissed my cheek gently giving me one last hug before he had to leave and go back downstairs. Lin wheeled back, still carrying my phone and handed it back to me.

“I’m sorry that I had to do that but you really left me no choice and uncle Tori has been worried about you this entire time. He loves you that much is obvious sis and I just want for you and him to have a happy and healthy relationship.” I pushed a lock of black hair out of my eyes and got my phone back from my best friend.

_ It’s okay I can fully understand why you did what you did. It was in order to get me to understand that I’m not alone here. I have my dad looking out for me no matter what and he’ll always love me. I don’t know why I would think that he wouldn’t love me but it’s just this fear that I had. It’s hard to explain what I’ve been thinking but I think that I might need to have a therapist at the very least for a little while after this is all over and I can assort my thoughts a little bit better. I know that you said they’re shit but I want some help here and I don’t know where I’m supposed to get it.  _ She came to sit by me so that she could read what I was writing and I saw the small smile appear on her face. 

“I think it might actually be good for you to have somebody to talk about things with. You’re struggling a lot right now and I didn’t need some shrink to tell me what was wrong with me. I already know that I’m dyslexic and have ADHD as well as anxiety disorder which make a big old pot of crazy. Want some gummy worms?” I smiled softly taking some of her candy and I noticed that she also had gummy sharks.

“Oh my dad got these for you since he knew that you were coming. You can keep them up here since Kyon-kitchi loves them too.” I laughed a little bit at the fact that she had hung around Ayame so much as a little girl that she knew the exact buttons to push to get a very pissed off kitty.

_ Thank you for my candy.  _ She smiled softly at me and I took the gummy from her taking one of them out of the bag.

“No problem, still so polite even though you’re mute right now. You definitely didn’t get that from me I can tell you that right now sissy. Does it bother Momiji?” I typed a little bit, shaking my head.

_ He’s actually been really chilled out about it. One of the best things about Momi is that I can just let him talk to me about much of anything and all he really needs to keep going is a nod or a sound of listening usually and he’ll just keep blabbering on. He’s worried about me though like dad is but he’s been really great with me through everything just talking as if nothing has changed. Haru feels really awful, I think he felt like it was his fault which it wasn’t. I left home shortly after it happened. It was my dad’s idea to get me to uncle Aya’s house and that’s where I’ve been staying for the last two months still going to school to wrap up that year. I’m just hoping that I get my voice back really soon because everyone is worried about me. I want to be able to talk by my thirteenth birthday and I’m going to work my hardest to unlock my words.  _ I told her and she just smiled at me dangling one of the gummy worms above her mouth and I giggled a little bit at her.

“I think that you need to make a friend outside of the family. We can talk more about it later though, maybe during the Fumiko love sick hours?” She offered and I nodded my head. She had dubbed this thing where it’s usually really late at night, oftentimes after ten thirty it usually happens where I’m just super lonely and I start fantasizing about a future boyfriend.

_ It would be much easier to find love now. I can’t transform anymore. I ran into one of the older gentlemen who didn’t know about the secret on the family estate and I didn’t transform. My dad was with me and warned me to watch where I was going but it was too late. He told me that the curse must have broken for me when Akito did those awful things to me. So it’s good that I’m just a normal person now and that I can’t transform into some small or weird animal.  _ She smiled at me as I heard the sliding door swing open loudly from the front entrance. I heard the pitter patter of tiny feet and the head of my best friend peak his bright orange head through the door.

“You’re here!!” I smiled softly at my best friend as he sat on my bed and hugged him tightly.

_ Hello Kyo, sorry it’s going to be like this for a little while longer. Dad says that I have selective mutism and that I have to get over it myself. I have missed you so much though.  _ I smiled softly at my best friend and he hugged me a little bit hanging on my arm.

“I’m just glad that you are here Fumi I’ve missed you so much it’s been a nightmare having to live with that stupid rat here and nobody to really talk to. No offense.” He said to Lin and she just feigned hurt at him. I couldn’t help but giggle at my two best friends as they often tried to get along for my sake but most of the time they still bickered like children.

“None taken Kyo I’m glad to have her too since I miss having just girl time. It’s hard living in a house with so many boys here now.” I smiled softly at my best friend taking another gummy shark and then replying to my best friend. 

_ I know it’s complicated but I’ll tell you about it when I’m better. I have a feeling that it will be very soon since I have been like this for a few months now and I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sorry that Yuki and you still aren’t getting along. He's a bit difficult for even me sometimes. I think he’s just got so many issues buried deep down beneath the surface that he’s terrified that everyone will see. Instead of being his authentic self instead he lies and covers up his emotions through putting every bad thing that he feels into a box and locking that box away. I’m glad to be here too though!! I’ve missed all of you so very much during this last year I’ve been really lonely. I think that getting out of the main house will be good for my sanity.  _ Kyo squeezed my hand a little bit in his tinier one. He was one of the few people that was actually shorter than me at four four instead of where I was currently four seven. He would hit his growth spurt though within the next year and leave me in the dust.

“We’re going out for dinner tonight so just show me what you want and I’ll order it for you.” Kyo told me with a bright smile on his face and I nuzzled my head against his gently tying my hair back with a small ribbon making it into a bow. I heard the door swing open again and looked out into the hallway seeing Yuki standing there.

“Fumiko? What are you doing here?” I sighed a little bit but thankfully Lin answered for me with a small squeeze to my hand.

“Uncle Tori came to drop her off. She has selective mutism and had a really bad confrontation with the dude hanging out of the window.” Yuki blinked at her for a second before a sad smile came on his face and he came into the room with the rest of us.

“I’m sorry that happened to you and hopefully you get better soon.” He told me, sitting down with his books as Kyo glared at him but he leaned his head on my shoulder.

“You don’t really care, you just feel the need to tell her that. When was the last time that you two talked? That’s right it was after you left with Shigure you never went back to see her again. At least I went to see her everyday after school.” I smiled softly at my best friend bumping his shoulder with mine.

_ It’s okay I thought that it was nice of him to do for me anyways. I don’t blame him for not coming back to the house. It was hell for basically all of us so I can’t blame him for that.  _ Lin smiled softly at me and I saw my uncle come through the front door.

“It’s time for dinner, kiddos come along we’re going to a family restaurant.” I smiled brightly at my uncle closing my laptop and I hefted a little bit to get off of the bed. 

“Come on I’ll hold your hand on the way.” My best friend dangled his hands gently and I took it as he gave it a reassuring squeeze. We walked together as a group and I pushed a lock of black hair behind my ear sitting down.

“Can I ask what happened?” Yuki asked me as I took out my phone showing him the paragraph that I had shown to Lin earlier. I showed it to Kyo afterwards just so that everyone was on the same page.

“I’m so sorry that happened. I know that we aren’t as close as we used to be as little kids but I still care about you and respect you.” Kyo just rolled his eyes moving a little bit closer to me and I smiled at him for even now supporting me. 

“You’ve been so strong through all of this Fumiko, I think that you’re the strongest person that I know.” I rolled my eyes because yeah right the strongest person would be still talking right now and here I was silenced.

“Why did you roll your eyes at him Fumi-chan?” Uncle Shigure asked me and he passed me a napkin and a pen winking at me a little bit.

_ Because if I were really the strongest person that I know I wouldn’t be in this situation. I would still be talking, laughing, reading to the kids at the house and dancing around the hardwood floors at my dad’s house. Not here where I know that you’re only taking me in because nobody knows what to do with me right now. I’m sorry uncle Shi. I know that you have enough on your plate already.  _ I apologized and he grabbed my hands for the slip of paper as I passed it back to him and he read it to my best friends. 

“Fumiko, we wouldn’t have you here if we didn’t want to. I might not have known that you were coming but I do know that you are the same girl that used to sneak Haru into Lin’s quarantine so that they could be together. You have always been an intelligent risk taker and I’ve always admired that about you. I know that things might seem bleak for you right now but you will get better. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but someday we will hear your sweet soft voice again making friends at school.” Lin encouraged me and I felt tears come to my eyes at the things that she was saying to me. For me it was so hard to look at her now and not see the same little girl that had followed me around like a little chick. 

“I wanted for you to come and live with me. You were always closer with Aya and I realize that now that I’m older. You are important to me though and I still see the same little girl that I looked at freshly born and swore to be the best uncle that I ever could. It breaks my heart that all of this happened and I had no idea about it. You were always so strong and smart, the smartest girl that I’ve ever known even for a thirteen year old. Your voice will come back and it will be absolutely adorable once again.” My uncle encouraged and I smiled brightly at him as Kyo handed me a tissue from my purse that was closest to him.

“Stop making a fool out of yourself in the restaurant. Don’t you know that there are people here?” He teased a little bit as I blew my nose and he smiled brightly at me moving the hair out of my eyes. I showed him what I wanted to order and he got it for me thankfully for hopefully the last time that this would happen.

“Have you read any good books lately?” Uncle Shigure asked me and I smiled at my uncle. I took out my notebook and started writing about my favorite book that I had recently read.

_ I read Good Omens, it’s a book that uncle Aya got me to help make me laugh when I stayed with him. I nearly laughed for hours at so many of the things that were going on in the novel. I heard that they are going to make it a television show with David Tennant, tenth doctor from Dr. Who. I also reread The Little Prince multiple times because I love that short story so much.  _ I wrote gently and showed it back to him. 

“I actually read Good Omens when I was back in high school. That's a rather old novel but it’s really funny. I’m glad that you enjoyed it. What about your Step In Time, how was that going?” My eyes lit up and I started signing rapidly something that only Lin and Kyo could keep up with.

“Alright you gotta slow down if you want to do this because I haven’t done this in a really long time.” Kyo told me and I slowed my hands down a lot more so that it was easier for him to translate what I was so excited about.

“So she says that she’s almost done with it and that she’s been having a really great time with it. Ayame is insisting on making her a costume so that’s why the video has been taking so much longer than most of the other ones. And the emotional trauma that she has been going through hasn’t really been helping her. She was saying that it took her forever to learn the turnings of the chimney sweeps while tap dancing that was the hardest part for her.” I had a dance Youtube channel that I posted videos on usually really regularly but I had been going through a lot these last two months and haven’t posted a thing so I’ve been working on something a little bit more complicated.

“I wish that I could dance with you. It sounds like so much fun. Uncle Tori said that I might have to go away soon. He said that he had an idea of something that might work. I would have to be fully alone for it to work though. He said that there is this house that is still owned by Sohma's out in the countryside near the lake that it would hopefully help me get better.” I smiled a little bit sadly at my best friend since my dad had told me this was going to happen.

“I don’t really want her to go but I'll do just about anything to help her get better officially. Hari said that it would take about a year for her to heal.” Uncle Shigure told me and my heart broke since I had just gotten here only to find out that she would be leaving again.

“I won’t leave until after your birthday so there’s nothing to worry about there. I wouldn’t do that to you but for the next year it’s just going to be the three of you. Hari told me that it might take longer though he said at the maximum it would take three years. It all just depends on how well I heal and how long it takes me before I can at least walk around.” Lin promised me and I smiled softly at her as our food arrived and I carefully ate. I had to get up early for my first day of school tomorrow since I had been absent for the first month. It would take a lot for me to get caught up but I was a smart cookie so I gave myself that credit. When I went to bed that night to at least lay there until eleven o’clock when I would go downstairs and talk with Lin about love and my perfect guy. I snuggled against my stuffed dog that I was given when I was a baby obviously from Shigure and I’ve had to mend him a couple times over the years. I pulled back from the sheets when I saw that it was my pinning hours and tiptoed down the stairs to the basement where her room was.

“Come on down here I’ve got your snacks down here too since I know that there is nothing that gets you talking like sugar. We won’t be able to do these for much longer.” I smiled a little bit sadly walking to her room and got under her small tent where she kept her bed and this massive pile of blankets and stuffed animals. I sat down and she handed me my bag of sharks since I didn’t have dessert at the restaurant even though my uncle tried to persuade me.

“So what exactly are we looking for here when we talk about a future boyfriend?” She asked me and I carefully brought out my computer where I started typing and faced the screen towards her where she could still see it.

_ I’ve actually thought about this a lot obviously especially now that I’m older and the curse has broken for me. I would want for him to be a little bit lazy since I’m so high strung that he would really chill me out, I would want for him to be quirky and a little bit different, for him to make me laugh until my sides ache, mostly I just want somebody to understand what it’s truly like to be me. I want somebody who knows what it’s like to deal with people on the spectrum. I want them to have black hair and bright brown eyes, the color that sparkles when they’re joking around or just having a good time. They would need to be an older sibling so that they would be able to understand where I’m coming from since I’m an older sister in more ways than one. Is that too much to ask for?  _ Lin read the message and she shook her head at me with a soft smile on her face.

“Not at all I really think that it’s sweet and that you’ll one day be very happy with him. It’s late though and you have to go to school tomorrow. Want to sleep down here with me?” I nodded my head at her and just curled up on the other side of her.

“Do you need one of your stuffed animals here I’ll go get one of yours.” She told me getting into her chair and she came back with my dog, snake and my seahorse.

“There you go now you can sleep fully.” She told me and I smiled sadly at her signing a thank you and then closing my eyes. I was thankful that I didn’t have a nightmare when I crept out of bed at six in the morning so that I could get ready for school. I went back upstairs where I could take a shower and fix my hair in a bigger hair bow than I wore yesterday flattening my skirt out. I tightened my tie and made sure that everything looked in order picking up my school backpack and making sure that all my notebooks were in there. I went downstairs noticing that I was the only one awake and I would have to do the dishes later. I went through the front door since I would have to walk a little while to get to school in my school issued shoes. I wanted to get there early because it was my first day at a new school and I would need to find my way around. I just plugged my over the ear headphones into my phone and put my Broadway playlist on shuffle. It was something that calmed me down whenever I was in a stressful situation that I didn’t want to be in. I’ve had aspergers since I was in the third grade after my first sensory overload my dad got worried about me so he took me to a neurologist. I went to the front of the building and looked around for the principal's office where I was told I needed to start my day. I found it easily and went through the front door.

“Oh hello there Miss Sohma correct? I’ll buzz you right through. I love your hair, it's very pretty.” She told me and I just ignored her comment a little bit since I would’ve just said thank you very much originally.

“Miss Sohma, right this way.” The principal opened his door and I quickly walked through it seeing a girl who was sitting there with her hair in pigtails looking up at me with a kind smile on her face.

“This is Miss Tohru Honda she has been made aware of your situation of your muteness.” I nodded my head a little bit with a sad smile. So somebody already knew and I didn’t even have to inform them. I wonder how many other people are in the know that I haven’t even met yet.

“It’s very nice to meet you, your eyes are really beautiful by the way.” I signed a quiet thank you since that was a sign that most people knew.

“She is your guide around the school even though you two don’t have the same classes. You are going to be put into class 3-A with your grades. Do you think that you’ll be talking soon?” He asked me and I nodded my head, taking out my sketchbook and writing a little bit.

_ Yes sir, there is nothing to worry about I’m already feeling a lot better. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get over this but I am feeling better. _ He nodded his head but kept the small smile there on his face.

“That’s very good I’m sorry that happened to you but you’re in a much better environment now right?” I nodded my head enthusiastically, taking my notebook back so that I could still communicate.

_ Yes sir, I have moved in with my second uncle and three cousins so it’s a little bit crowded right now.  _ Tohru read what I was writing and she smiled brightly at me. I had never really had a female friend before since I was too shy to really make one aside from Lin.

“I would love to hear more about your cousins!! I have this communicator so that you can go back and forth with me.” She encouraged and I smiled softly at her taking my communicator so that she could hear everything that was on my mind.

“I’ll give you a tour and then I want you to message me through this if you have any questions since I don’t have a phone like you do. Can’t really afford it.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a soft smile on my face.

_ Well my dad is a doctor so he works a lot for our family. He’s strictly the Sohma family doctor since there are a lot of us and he has to make sure that we are all taken care of.  _ The principal smiled softly at me and he looked at Tohru.

“You two can be on your way now, here’s your schedule and I wish you the best of luck.” He told me and I took the notes from him putting them into my front binder. Tohru led the way out of the office to the girl that I saw sitting there.

“Hey Tohru is that the new girl? She looks different from what I was expecting. I’m Arisa Uotani, this is Saki Hanajama but you can call me Uo-chan and this is Hana-chan.” The blonde haired one told me and I quickly took out my notebook so that I could introduce myself to them.

_ It’s very nice to meet you both, I’m Fumiko Sohma but for the nicknames I guess my favorite uncle calls me Fumi-chan so I go by that. I went through a lot living at the family estate and for the moment I have what my dad has diagnosed as selective mutism. It should change very quickly though probably by the end of the day because I’m already feeling a lot better. I’ve been like this for three months and my dad was really worried about me.  _ I smiled brightly at my new friends that I was already making.

“Your waves are very calming, I am sorry for whatever you had to go through. You don’t have to tell us though it’s not really any of our business. I should know a thing or two about going through a lot.” I looked at her with my head cocked to the side and Uo-chan just put her arm around my shoulders.

“Just go along with her. It's kind of a long story and she’s just a little bit weird. So where are you heading?” She asked me and Tohru walked on my other side with a bright smile on her face that just lit her up from the inside it seemed.

“She has class 3-A we’re dealing with a very smart person here. You should consider yourself very lucky. School was really hard for me before I met these two amazing people I call my friends. Now they can be your friends too!!” I looked around in shock at the fact that I had actually already made three new friends. Maybe this school could be really good for me and that idea made me smile even wider.

“What’s your favorite movie Fumi-chan?” Hana-chan asked me and I smiled brightly, instantly taking out my sketchbook and flipping to the page where I had a picture of Milo from Skeleton Twins.

“I haven’t seen him before but he’s rather cute…” Uo-chan commented and I smiled nodding my head enthusiastically as I started to write on the paper next to him.

_ He’s from a movie called Skeleton Twins. I saw it for the first time with my uncle Ayame a few years or uncle Aya as I call him. He's my dad’s best friend and has been since he was a little kid. He basically raised me because my dad was often busy and that was always where I requested to go. It’s where I’ve spent the last two months and why I’m starting later because he wanted for me to at least try to get better. I love Skeleton Twins a lot. It's one of those movies that probably most people wouldn’t be interested in but it’s always owned my soul. I love the main character more than anything in the entire world. His name is Milo and he has one of the most realistic portrayals of depression that I have ever seen. It was the first time that I had looked at my diagnosis in this way where I was just like wow I act like that sometimes on my worst days. He’s played by Bill Hader. He was a star on SNL for about ten years and he is on fire in this movie.  _ I told them a little bit about my background growing up with uncle Aya at his house where I still had my own room. 

“That’s actually really cool that you know so much about that movie. Come on we’ll take you to 3-A that’s upstairs we’ll still have lunch together because we’re basically allowed to eat wherever we want so just come downstairs to 3-D and hang out with us degenerates.” I laughed a little bit at my new friend.

_ The only reason why I’m in 3-A is because I’m naturally intelligent and I read a lot of books. I love learning new things about the world around me and I'm a massive nerd deep down. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve never really had friends before that I wasn’t related to.  _ Tohru smiled at me as I messaged her and she read it to her two best friends.

“Well you’ve got us now!! I can take you home with me after school and you can meet my mom. I can tell that she is going to just love you so much.” Tohru told me and I nodded my head as the girl next to me smiled a little bit lopsided at me.

“I’ll come with you because Kyoko is really awesome but a lot if you don’t really know what you’re getting into. She’ll want to talk one on one with you and she is absolutely amazing just thought that I would give you the heads up. Here we are nerd room A.” I laughed a little bit at my friend as I looked into the classroom and saw that the teacher was thankfully still prepping for class.

_ Thank you for walking and showing me where my classroom is. I will see you ladies at lunch!!  _ I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear putting my phone into my pocket of my skirt and my sketchbook into my backpack.

“It’s not a problem we just wanted to get you to where you needed to be. You should be fine in here there is Kakeru Manabe but he’ll most likely leave you alone. He’s a prankster but your a sweet girl so he’ll most likely leave you alone.” Uo-chan told me with a thumbs up as Hana squeezed my arm gently.

“I wish you very pleasant waves throughout the first half of your day.” I signed a you too to her before turning around and taking a deep breath before entering my classroom.

“Oh, are you the new student? Great!! Come right on in, I’m Mrs. Tupling, I’ve been made aware of your situation and I’m very sorry about what happened to you. I’ll be your homeroom teacher next year too and we just move to the A rooms like at your old school. You seem great at science, is that your favorite subject?” I nodded my head a little bit nervously as she started to talk animatedly to me.

“We have a really great science program here you’ll have a lot of fun with it. You’ll be sitting next to Manabe-kun. You might have been warned about him already but he’s mostly harmless if he likes you. I thought that he would be good for you since a lot of the time we have group work for English and I just thought that it would be really cute if you two started dating. I know I know shipping students is really cruel but he’s one of my favorites even if he changed at the drop of a hat last year. It was really strange one day he was withdrawn and quiet and then the next he was joking around and having a great time.” I wondered if something had happened to him but I just shook my head. It wasn’t any of my business if something did happen to him. I probably wouldn’t even be able to really talk to him if he did sit next to me.

“I know I’m awful but I care about the happiness of my students and to me just by looking at you I can tell that you need a little bit of happiness. He’s a great kid even if he is a little bit exuberant and tends to fall asleep during class sometimes mostly history so you’ll have to help him with that since you seem very good at that. I thought that you two would mesh really well together and he’s really outgoing so that would compensate for the fact that you haven’t found your voice yet.” The bell rang over our heads and soon students started piling into the room. I looked up seeing a bright face with honey colored eyes and black hair just the type that I described to my sister last night.

“Well hello there, I’m Kakeru Manabe it’s nice to ya.” He shook my hand animatedly and I looked up at him and I wanted to hug this person he was such a sweetheart.

“I-I-I’m Fumiko Sohma nice to you too.” I gasped at the fact that somehow my words had been unlocked at the most random of moments. I looked up at my teacher seeing the look of surprise and self satisfaction on her face that I was able to actually come out of my shell.

“I wasn’t expecting that, the teacher told me that you were mute since I would be sitting next to you. Not that it’s bad or anything just a little bit alarming.” He told me with a soft lazy smile kicking his feet up to the top of his desk and leaning back in his chair.

“You know you can get hurt badly doing that right? Trust me I know one time I was doing that in my dad’s doctor’s office with my younger brother and I fell backwards. Of course he just flipped and suddenly he was standing straight up but it hurt for a week. Apparently I bruised a rib while doing it. I was six when it happened.” He smiled softly at me carefully putting his feet back down.

“I didn’t know that you had a younger brother, what's his name? You know I’m an older brother too, well half brother but same difference.” I smiled softly at him pushing a lock of hair into my ear.

“I wasn’t mute by the way it’s called selective mutism. Nothing was wrong with my brain just shoved into a very bad situation. I do have a brother though he’s my younger brother. His name is Momiji. He’s adopted my dad and took him in when his mom gave him up when he was four but he was around basically my entire life. We’re really close though we are very different people.” I told my new friend and he just smiled softly at me listening to me talk about my relationship with my brother.

“That sounds like my relationship with my half sister we’re really different. Sometimes I worry about her since she is so closed off and it’s like she doesn’t make any friends. She would probably like you though you just seem like that kind of person. So we’re both older siblings, that's something that we can have in common. How much older are you than him? I’m about five months older than Machi, that's my sister by the way.” He told me about his older sibling even if it was only by a couple of months.

“I’m a year older than him so he’s a second year. I’m from a really big clan not all of us are related but a good majority of us are we all call each other cousins though especially the younger ones. Not all of them like me but the ones that do I’m really close with so they’re really special to me. I don’t know if she’ll like me but that doesn’t mean I won’t meet her and try to be friendly with her. I have aspergers so that pretty much limits the amount of social interaction that I’m good at.” His eyes widened and apparently so did his smile as he took out his phone and animatedly started typing.

“My sister, she’s autistic has been for a really long time but she didn’t get a firm diagnosis. Her mother wanted her to be perfect so she pretty much ridiculed her until she eventually realized that there was something wrong with her. Machi is really a great younger sister though and I try to be as close to her as I can though sometimes she does shut me out. She still classified herself as autistic though when people ask though she’s never met anybody other than her who was on the spectrum.” Mrs. Tupling called the class to order by banging on her table two times and everyone turned to her.

“Good morning students. We have a fresh face joining us for the next year and a half. Would you like to come up here and introduce yourself to the class?” She asked me and I nodded my head, twiddling my thumbs a little bit behind my back.

“I am Fumiko Sohma. It's very nice to meet all of you.” I introduced myself to my classmates seeing the bright smile on Manabe’s face encouraging me all the way. I bowed before my new classmates and Mrs Tupling crossed her arms in front of her.

“And this is what we did on the first day since you missed that I want five facts about your life so far.” She encouraged me and I pushed a lock of hair getting ready to start listing some things off.

“So I was born in the Sohma compound. It's a really big family so there are a lot of us that live there. That’s not really a fact, just a little bit of context, this is my first time going to school off grounds and where the head of the family hasn’t had a say in where I went to school. I am a brown belt with a three stripes in kempo karate along with my best friend and favorite cousin Kyo that’s one belt away from being a black belt and I’ve been doing it since I was five starting off at a white belt and kept going from there, I keep a copy of my favorite book with me at all times it’s called The Little Prince it’s a truly beautiful children’s book, I play both violin and piano and my favored one is violin since I haven’t had much practice with the piano yet though I can read the sheet music it’s still a work in progress, I love cartoons and animation and my favorite show is Animaniacs because it was educational and my dad always watched it with me, my favorite movie is a dramatic comedy called Skeleton Twins with my favorite star from SNL Bill Hader playing the main male character and my final fact is that I love anime about as much as cartoons and my favorite animated film is Kiki’s Delivery Service while my favorite show is Gurren Lagann has been for about two years now since I first watched it with my brother and Haru. My favorite character is Nia by the way I love her so much and the ending had me an emotional mess.” I explained about my facts a little bit more in depth talking about my love of books, cartoons, anime, music and karate things that meant the world to me. 

“All those years of karate must have given you a lot of dedication. I don’t know many who would stick with doing something for so long. Most would try it for a couple of years and then eventually drop it because the discipline just wasn’t for them.” Mrs Tupling noted and I smiled a little bit softly at the memories that I had with both Haru and Kyo at that dojo.

“Well you might realize that I am not like most people but I do love the art form. It’s calming and I like to know that I’m strong. Plus I got to work with my two favorite cousins Haru and Kyo since we were often practicing together and joking around. My karate sensei is the foster father of Kyo but he’s still one of the best people in the entire world.” I smiled softly talking about my best friends and the years that we spent inside of that dojo.

“Thank you for talking about your life sweetheart you can go and sit own now.” I smiled softly going to sit down next to Kakeru.

“Remind me never to get you angry…” I laughed at my new neighbor who was sitting next to me and I smiled softly at him.

“Don’t worry about that I won’t get mad at you but I do know to defend myself very well. Just a little bit of warning though about Haru one of the reasons why he started was because he has a bit of a darker side and that’s an understatement. I love him to death don’t get me wrong and most of the time around me he’s really chilled out but he has a massive protective streak.” Kakeru just smiled at me as I spoke about the members of my family as Mrs Tupling went back to the front of the room.

“We actually are going to start a new duo or solo project that I’m really excited about. It will be with your desk partners and it’s what I mentioned earlier on in the year. You will be taking a favorite book and making something new out of it. Something creative and different about it that nobody really has ever tried to do before. I would like for it to be artistic related whether summarizing part of your book through a section of song lyrics that you’ve written yourself or anything else that you can come up with.” She explained and I saw Kakeru’s eyes widen with this sense of excitement as he got out a well worn and very well loved looking book.

“I can’t wait for this!! This is going to be great, you’ll partner with me won’t you? I think that my idea will be a lot easier if I try to do it myself.” He smiled brightly and I found myself falling in love with that beautiful smile of his.

“Of course I’ll help you but I want to do my own project as well. I’ve wanted to focus on this book for the longest time. Can it be put to animation Mrs. Tupling?” I asked her and she nodded her head at me with a bright smile.

“It completely can, if you are creative feel free to try something that you never have before.” She encouraged and I nodded my head with a small smile getting out my well worn and well loved book. The front cover was a little bit torn since I had this copy since I was very young and had read it so many times that it was nearly falling apart.

“Have you ever read the Percy Jackson books before?” I shook my head animatedly and Kakeru let out this dramatic gasp at me.

“You have never read Percy Jackson?! I’m kidding of course it’s not your fault that you’ve never read them. Would you like to though?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile painted there.

“I would love to read your book. It looks like it has been very well loved in the past. Then again this is coming from the same girl who’s favorite book looks like this so I don’t think I have room to judge.” He laughed a little bit at me and took my book from my desk and he flipped through the pages.

“What’s it about?” He asked me and I pushed a lock of hair into my bow with a small smile on my face.

“It’s about a sort of an aviator who travels by airplane and he meets a little boy during one of his travels. This little boy, dubbed The Little Prince is from a planet with hardly anything on it but one day a rose starts growing and he starts to fall in love with the rose. But the rose is vain and self centered so she sends the little prince out to find something to keep her warmer. They were in love but they were too young to know how to love that’s a quote sort of from the movie. It’s one of the most beautiful fairy tales that I’ve ever read in my life.” He smiled brightly at me as he flipped back to the front of the novella.

“You truly are adorable Sohma, that's the longest you’ve spoken to me all morning. You have a babbling problem don’t you?” He asked me and I blushed a little bit, nodding my head a little bit more embarrassed than I normally would be the other times it happened.

“A little bit yeah, I basically watched way too much Animaniacs growing up with my little brother and before I even knew it I became like Yakko who was always my favorite of the siblings. I love him so much it became honestly pretty funny to watch me turn into an absolute fangirl.” I told him and he turned the page reading the book that had changed my entire life passing me his.

“We’ll swap it shouldn’t take me too long to read yours but I really want to. The way that you told me about it obviously means the world to you so I want to know about it to have something to talk about with you.” He encouraged me and I smiled softly at him. I could tell that this would be the start of a really beautiful friendship of the two of us just joking around together. It made me wonder what it would sound like if he was calling me by my given name and not my last name. The thought made me blush and internally smack myself upside the head.

“I do love that book. It's one of my all time favorites and I could read it so many times that it honestly gets a little ridiculous.” I joked and he smiled softly at me as I took the book that was there in front of me and I instantly started to laugh.

“It’s a really funny novel. You'll love it more than anything if you enjoy laughing like I think you do. I think that more people need to laugh at things.” I smiled brightly at my new friend pushing a lock of dark hair behind my ear.

“Doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom…” I murmured underneath my breath and he laughed brightly at me.

“Invader Zim, nice, that's a fabulous show. I watched it a lot when I was a little bit younger but it’s still one of the quirkiest shows that I’ve ever seen.” I laughed slightly at my friend pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Sorry about that it happens to me more times than I would like to admit. I love these characters and even have a GIR hoodie in my closet back at home. That is the Sohma estate I left there on accident when I left since it was sort of sudden.” He smiled softly at me and I could tell that this would be the start of something really beautiful. 

“It’s cool I thought that it was really cute to be honest with you. So what got you into martial arts at such a young age?” Kakeru asked me to turn the page of my book and I smiled softly at the memory.

“My best friend’s mom passed away when he was really young so he was taken in by a foster father the local karate teacher who taught at the dojo on the Sohma compound. I loved getting to watch him fight and learn how to defend himself and that inspired me to do the same thing. To me the most important thing that I’ve ever learned is how to defend myself even if in the exact moment when I needed to I went into shock and couldn’t do anything hence why these exist.” I gestured to all my scars and Kakeru just smiled sadly at me like he almost understood. 

“It does make sense to me you were put in an awful situation obviously if you got hurt that badly. But, you’re in a better place now and you’ll never have to go back not if I have anything to say about it. I will always protect a fair maiden from danger.” He joked and I looked at him a little bit surprised to say the least. 

“But you hardly even know me…” He just smiled brightly at me and a little bit lopsided and I could see myself years down the line still indulging in that beautiful smile.

“Doesn’t much matter to me the fact that I want to get to know so that we can be friends. I’ve never seen anyone like you Sohma so I want to get to know you better. So your favorite animated film is Kiki’s Delivery Service? My sister loves Miyazaki movies though her favorite is Princess Monoke.” I smiled brightly at my new friend that I was working on making, taking out my sketchbook where all these different images that I had drawn were. 

“I’ve loved that movie since I was three years old. It was really my first movie before Disney movies. There were Miyazaki films. He didn’t want me to watch Disney movies because he thought that they would give me this false sense of hope when I got older that all my problems would be solved by a prince charming. The only ones that he eventually let into the house were Mulan, Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin and Tangled. He wanted for me to have feminine role models who were actually realistic and had human qualities that weren’t just to sit there and look pretty. My favorite was always Kiki not because I looked like her I don’t look like any of them but she was my dream personality. That sort of driven, kind hearted, down to earth, hard working, willing to do everything it took to prove herself but still loved her friends so much that she tried everything to save him. I love that movie more than anything in the entire world. It just makes me smile and remember the better times in my life. I watched it all the time with Momo. We weren’t like most siblings where if you didn’t have a movie in common playing on the screen then we would basically annulate each other. We were never really like that if anything else I love my brother more than anything in the entire world. He makes me laugh and we basically grew up together. I’m talking a lot I’m really sorry you probably aren’t really caring…” Kakeru just sat there listening to me ramble and babble about all these different movies and memories involving my little brother.

“You’re really cute, you know that right? I don’t care that you talk a lot so many people filter their words that it’s rare that they find something that they would be truly passionate about. I think it’s actually really adorable and you should talk freely whenever you like around me. I don’t mind the babbling. It helps me learn more about you. So you’re a classic Teen Titans fan? I actually can totally see that you look like your favorite was Beast Boy he was my favorite too. My sister was a lot like Raven so we would fight a lot of the time even though we didn’t live in the same house.” I blushed a bright pink at being called cute since other than my dad or my uncles nobody had ever really called me cute before that I wasn’t related to. I smiled softly at the mention of the original Teen Titans and the memories that it carried along with it.

“I do love the original show; it was the one that I never missed a single episode of. Every time that it was on I would have my favorite cousin come over that I got into a lot of my shows with I mentioned him my cousin Haru. We would spend hours watching our favorite action heroes kick some major butt and it was one of the best parts of my childhood when I was four. My other favorite and the one that my cousins all say that I act the most like is Starfire. I love a lot of cartoons obviously and it was really hard going up there and trying to choose between that or Animaniacs something that I watched with my uncle who’s a novelist. I have two uncles one of them I’m currently living with is my uncle Shigure. He's a novelist and then I have a second uncle, my uncle Ayame who runs a dress shop. Most of my wardrobe outside of school uniforms belong to him.” I explained a little bit more about my childhood to Manabe who hung onto my every word listening as I spoke animatedly about favorite cartoons.

“You love Animaniacs too?! Okay it’s official I think that we could grow to be really close friends. What was your favorite song? We had to do Nations of the world on the last day of geography class last year and I was the only person that could complete the entire song though Wakko was always my favorite he was just the funniest.” I smiled brightly at the fact that I wasn’t the only person who had watched the spazzy cartoon with a lot of bouncing around and rapid fire comedy. 

“I’d have to say that my favorite song is one that most really don’t think of because it didn’t really get a whole lot of love. My favorite song is the one that they sing to Wakko explaining how the world of Hollywood works through their song ‘Variety Speak’. I can play it on the violin and it never fails to just leave me in stitches. I love a lot of their songs and skits. It's just that one has been my favorite since I was five years old. My favorite was obviously Yakko because he’s the most quotable to me and I love to spout his own liners. Besides as an older sibling he never failed to be relatable since I’m basically him with my younger brother that overprotective and somewhat goofy nature even though we’re only a few months apart and he’s adopted.” I smiled softly humming the song that I always sang with my brother and whichever one of the younger Sohma’s were around.

“I can actually totally see that and it’s adorable. I thought that you were going to say that your favorite was Dot since you’re both cute.” I blushed a bright pink hiding my face a little bit since nobody but my family members had ever called me cute.

“I’m really not that cute, just average and normal the same as I’ve always been. The only thing cute about me maybe is my art style.” I showed him my sketchbook that was covered with various cartoon stickers just like my laptop.

“I like to draw the people in my life with their favorite cartoon characters or just characters in general. Like my brother is with Nagisa from Free Iwatobi Swim Club, basically a match made in heaven. I also made my cousin Kisa with the soft spoken nature of Princess Aurora from Disney the princess that she grew up with.” I showed him the picture of my cousins that I was using as examples for him to see and he just started to smile at me. 

“That art style is perfect for you, it's actually really beautiful. I love it.” Mrs Tupling went to the front of the room again with a small smile on her face.

“We are going to go to the music room since that is what we do every other day. You’ll get to play some of your music for everyone. Are you alright with that or would you like to sit out and just listen today?” She asked me and I smiled softly tapping my violin case that I had brought with me since I knew that music was one of my classes. 

“I’ll play music for you guys. I want to add that it’s been a while since I’ve played for anybody who wasn’t my uncle who taught me how to play and he’s the worlds biggest critic.” I joked and stood up dusting off the hem of my skirt as Kakeru held the door open for me.

“After you milady.” He bowed over dramatically and I just looked at him with a small smile on my face. He was really quite adorable, not too bad on the eyes either and he was trying to get to know me. He had made my voice come back whether he knew it or not that was something to be given great credibility.

“Thank you my knight.” I shot back at him walking past the doorway and he just stood there stunned.

“The cool thing about music class is that it’s with the entire grade so we’ll be able to meet the other classes.” I smiled softly at the thought of sitting with Tohru, Hana and Uo for at least one class.

“Hey Fumiko!!” I looked up hearing the bark of a loud booming voice that was coming from Uo-chan.

“I was concerned that this might happen but it has happened sooner than I had thought.” Hana-chan looked Kakeru up and down and I cocked my head to the side a little bit. 

“Goth girl say what now?” Kakeru asked her and I just smiled softly, shaking my head at him and his craziness.

“I’ll handle this, he’s not a threat Hana-chan he’s actually really funny and I like him. I got put next to him in my class. Trust me I have what my uncle lovingly gave down to me that he calls the asshole-radar.” I joked rocking back and forth on my heels trying to explain the situation to my friends and they looked at me in surprise while Tohru had tears in her eyes.

“You just spoke!! That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you Fumi-chan.” She cheered and I smiled softly at my best friend and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Yeah it sort of just happened I’m sorry if you don’t want to talk with me.” Kakeru just smiled at me as Uo-chan hugged me tightly.

“There’s not a chance in hell that we’re going to want to stop talking with you. You are still this really unique person besides we still need to see Skeleton Twins during a sleepover sooner rather than later. I don’t care who your friends with as long as you don’t forget about girl days.” I smiled brightly at my new friend that I had made in the last couple of hours.

“Are you really that curious about it? It’s really good but it’s not for everybody. I'm mostly just really strange so I’m a little paranoid that you’ll think it’s bad or something.” I looked down at my shoes and Uo-chan just nudged my shoulder gently.

“Have you met Hana? I don’t think that you could possibly get any stranger than that. Is that your violin? Newbies have to perform for music class just giving you a fair warning it sucks but you’ll probably be really good. You look like the kind of person who plays violin. The three of us have little to zero musical talent so we are doing recorders and sucking at it all the way through.” I laughed a little bit at my new friend and I nodded my head squeezing the base of my violin case that I was using to hold it up.

“I’m actually multi talented in the music category. My uncle who I mentioned earlier, my uncle Aya, he plays most musical instruments with amazing flourish. He taught me violin and piano and he learned guitar so that he could teacher my cousin Lin how to play it.” I showed her a picture of my favorite cousin and she looked at it with a sad smile on her face.

“Is she alright you know like in terms of physical health?” I shook my head with a little bit of a morose smile on my face.

“She doesn’t have any disabilities if that’s what you mean she’s just really sick. My dad has been trying everything to get her to the point where she is feeling better but I don’t think that it’s possible.” Hana came over to look at the picture of basically my younger sister and she smiled softly.

“She looks like she is a very calming person to be around even though she has been through a lot.” Tohru looked at me with a small smile on her face as I spoke about my little sister that was in everything but blood. Kakeru turned his head so that he could see her as well and I could see the expression of wonder on his face.

“You told me that she was your cousin? It’s funny you look almost exactly like her I would have confused you two for real siblings if you hadn’t told me that your uncle adopted her.” I smiled a little bit looking at her indigo hair that was close to the blackness that was my own since I looked almost exactly like my dad. 

“That’s Lin for you. She is my cousin but we have a lot of personality traits that are in common because uncle Aya has definitely left his impression on the both of us. That is also her natural hair it’s not died or anything in terms of family members; her hair is somewhat normal.” I joked smiling softly at the thought of my uncle being here and the enjoyment he would have at being the center focus of attention. I put my phone back in my pocket smiling softly at the fact that I finally had a group of friends that were around me.

“So you have a lot of family members? Did one of them hurt you or something? Is that why you couldn’t talk?” I nodded my head just hoping that would be enough for Uo-chan to drop the subject matter at hand.

“It was but I don’t really want to talk about it. Sorry not exactly a comfortable subject matter for me right now considering the wound is still fresh. It wasn’t really from somebody who acknowledged my existence before so I don’t really know why I thought that I could trust him.” Tohru gently squeezed my hand encouragingly as I saw the music room in front of me.

“Well the point is that you’re away from them now right? You don’t live in the main house right now otherwise you wouldn’t be here and I for one thing am glad that you’re here.” Kakeru told me and I smiled through the blush on my cheeks at my new friend. 

“You know for once I actually agree with the slacker and he’s right about something?” I laughed at Uo-chan as I walked through the front door of the music classroom.

“New student?” The teacher asked me and I let go of Tohru’s hand for a second bowing before my new teacher.

“Yes ma’am I’m Fumiko Sohma it’s very nice to meet you.” I introduced myself trying to keep it short and sweet. 

“It’s nice to meet you as well I’m Miss Sakamato, oh thank heavens you’re a violin player?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. 

“I play violin and piano but I favor violin because it’s more portable for me.” I told her and she just laughed a little bit at me.

“Your friends have probably already told you but the job for you today is to introduce yourself and play a song on your instrument that you’ve brought with you. I don’t get a whole lot of violin players because it’s not the easiest instrument in the world to learn.” I smiled at my new teacher as she waited for everyone to come through the hallway. 

“My uncle taught me everything he knew about both violin and piano. It wasn’t the easiest instrument to learn as you put it out but I was extremely dedicated.” The rest of the grade filled in and the teacher turned to face them. 

“We have a new student joining us starting today class, please introduce yourself.” The teacher told me and I smiled a little bit nervously but looking at Kakeru as he nodded his head at me gave me a lot of encouragement. 

“Hi, my name is Fumiko Sohma but my uncle calls me Fumi-chan so I usually tell people to call me that. I play violin and piano though the piano is still a little bit of a work in progress and I haven’t been practicing lately.” I introduced myself by pushing a lock of hair behind my ear and willing myself to be strong.

“Good to meet you Fumi-chan now every new student has to play a song that they share a special connection with as a sort of introduction as well.” I knew instantly that I would play A Town With An Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service. 

“For a little bit of background I grew up with all sorts of Miyazaki movies but my favorite is Kiki’s Delivery Service. I will be playing A Town With An Ocean View.” I had known this song like the back of my hand since it was one of the first I had wanted to learn after teaching myself sheet music. The notes came to me like something I had known for my entire life and it was always something that I put my entire body into just like my uncle had taught me when I was younger. Once I put my bow down the entire class looked at me speechless before it erupted into applause.

“That was absolutely stunning Fumi-chan you were taught very well. It seems that you are going to make my job really easy. Do you want to try your hand at the piano as well?” I nodded my head a little bit showing off a little bit of Be Our Guest since that was one of the songs I had really wanted to learn. 

“I’m a bit of animation trash so I watch a lot of cartoons and animation. So that’s mostly the music that I play is something that I heard from one of my favorite films.” I told the class and fingered a lock of inky black hair out of my bright blue eyes. 

“I don’t think that calling yourself trash is a very nice thing to say about something you love. You clearly love animation and it shows through your beautiful music.” My teacher encouraged me and I put my violin back in it’s case taking a careful seat next to Kakeru.

“You play beautifully…” He murmured softly as everyone else got out their instruments so that he wouldn’t be heard over the silence that the teacher had asked for.

“Thank you that means a lot…” He got out his acoustic guitar and I couldn’t help but smile softly as he put the strap on over his uniform.

“I think a lot of people don’t really have a passion for music and are only taking this class because it’s mandatory for the two years that we’ve all been here. You do and that passion speaks for itself you looked like you were floating.” He praised and I felt a light pink blush across my cheeks. I sat through the rest of the class next to my teammates that were in the strings section and Kakeru was kind of right. It did sound like nobody gave a damn about what they were playing only that they hit the right notes. The bell rang and I carefully put my violin back into my bag.

“You have the makings of a professional orchestra musician in you Fumi-chan that was really amazing.” Uo-chan told me and I laughed a little bit rolling my eyes because that was a little bit extreme.

“Yeah right with my social anxiety and stage fright? That’s a thanks but no thanks. I'd rather just perform mostly for myself unless I need to show off my skills then I just swallow it down and do it anyways.” Tohru caught up with me as she was putting her recorder into her backpack and Hana-chan was following behind her. Kakeru was holding the door open waiting for me and flourished his wrist a little bit causing me to laugh at him.

“But you’re really good Fumi-chan that was incredible!! I’ve never seen somebody play like that. It was like watching actual magic. You’re really talented!!” She encouraged me and I couldn’t help but entertain the idea at least a little bit. I could see myself in a length black dress with my hair tied up and a violin on my arm getting ready to play somewhat boring music. 

“I don’t know if that is really my scene. I see myself playing a lot of classical music which while that’s fine it wouldn’t be a very fun career for me. I don’t know what I would want to do when I grow up, probably do something with animation or cooking. I do love to cook and bake.” Kakeru followed us quickly sprinting so that he could catch up with me.

“It’s still early on too so you have enough time to think about this kind of thing. Come on, I’ll take you to the science building, we'll be lab partners.” He told me and I smiled softly at the fact that I had already made a really good friend.

“She’s eating lunch with us everyday though pal so get used to it. You can’t hog her sweetness all to yourself.” Uo-chan told him and I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at her. Only my first day and I had already found a solid group of friends.

“Okay see you guys in a couple of hours!!” I told them following Kakeru up the stairs to the science building where he held the door open for me yet again. 

“Hey Tatsuya-sensei, I have found my lab partner. I know I said I didn’t want one but look she’s cute.” I rolled my eyes and blushed a bright pink at my new friend knowing that there was no getting his opinion changed.

“She most certainly is. I’m Mr. Tatsuya and I'm the science teacher here. You must be Sohma-san right?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face and he handed me and Manabe some of the sheets.

“Yes sir that’s me it’s really nice to meet you.” I bowed a little bit and he smiled softly at me shaking his head at me.

“There’s really no need to bow before me, oh you have a white Totoro on your backpack is he your favorite?” I nodded my head fingering the little fuzzball that I had there with a soft smile on my face.

“Yes sir he is my favorite other than the main one I’ve always loved. He’s just adorable and I’m a huge fan of Miyazaki-san’s films. My dad basically banned all Disney films for a long time before we found Beauty And The Beast, Mulan, and Princess And The Frog. I spent my childhood watching Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Cat Returns and obviously Totoro.” I told my sensei a little bit about how I had grown up and he listened to me with rapt attention. 

“That sounds like you had quite the childhood full of adventure and wonder. We’re doing a getting to know our partner activity today so you two are in luck. How are you at science by the way?” He asked me and I took the top piece of paper that was there with a nervous smile pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m actually really good at it. My dad is a doctor so he taught me a lot when I was younger.” He told me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“You two will be in the middle row thankfully I liked you last year Manabe this was the one class where apparently you actually behaved.” I saw the boy out of the corner of my eye rub the back of his neck a little bit.

“I’ll try to do better this year in terms of my classes and trying to keep things under control.” I laughed a little bit at my friend and he led me to the middle of the classroom pulling out a chair for me.

“Have you ever thought about dying your hair? Just out of curiosity sake. Your hair is really pretty. I'm not saying you should but I was just wondering since you seem the more pastel type.” Manabe asked me and I turned my head to look at my new friend thinking that maybe he was right. I tightened my hair in the ponytail.

“I actually never thought about it before even though I know that Lin has. I wouldn’t complain about having pink hair maybe like a baby pink but I would probably get in a lot of trouble since high school is really soon.” Manabe just laughed a little bit at me and I looked back at my new friend pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Leave it to you to be worried about what other people might think about you. You could probably get away with it if you're cute enough.” I laughed a little bit as a bright pink blush on my cheeks.

“I don’t know about cute but thank you anyway.” I protested and saw that Kakeru’s head cocked to the side. 

“The cutest people always deny that they’re cute; it's part of the appeal.” He joked and I laughed a little bit at my new friend.

“I’ll take your word for it. This one isn’t on the list but just out of curiosity why did you pick guitar? That’s one of the harder instruments to learn so I was just kind of wondering.” I asked my new friend who laughed a little bit at me.

“Well I mean life is more interesting when it’s a little bit harder. I wanted a challenge and guitar helped me get motivated to kind of come into my own. I was under a lot of familial pressure before Machi’s little brother came around. A lot of competition between me and her and it put a serious strain on our sibling relationship. I try to make up for it now but she’s a little bit trickier to relate to. It’s hard to try to be the brother that she needs because we didn’t grow up in the same house.” I listened to him and my heart broke for the fact that he had struggled to find his own footing for so long. 

“The reason why I stopped speaking was because I was caught in relentless criticizing. My family hasn’t been the most accepting either, aside from my uncles, my four favorite cousins, my brother and my dad. I was born sort of out of wedlock even though my dad loved my mom. The head of the family didn’t like it once I was born and he started to be emotionally manipulative towards my mother and she was forced to leave the family. So my dad had to raise me and he did a great job doing it. The same person that criticized my mom suddenly started coming right for me and I didn’t know what to do. If it hadn’t have been for Hatsuharu he’s my cousin and one of my best friends, I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive.” I explained to him why I couldn’t speak before he had met me.

“Well I’m glad that he was otherwise I wouldn’t have met you and that would have been an utter travesty. My family isn’t really the best either, I’m an illegitimate son of a business owner so it was between me and Machi for who would get the job in the future. My mom put a lot of pressure onto me for being a year older than her and needing to step up to the plate. It was last year when I realized that it didn’t really matter what I did. I would never live up to the potential that she needed me to so I just eventually hit the what the hell am I doing button and now I’m here in front of you now.” I looked at Manabe and instantly started to smile a little bit because finally somebody had understood what it was like growing up with a single parent from somewhat of an affair.

“I’m glad that Haru was there too. He's one of my best friends in the entire world. He helped get me to my dad who patched up my wounds and took me to my uncle’s shop. One of them is a shopkeeper, he’s the one who can play the instruments my uncle Aya. I don’t live with him. I wish that I could because it would be way less crowded but I live with my uncle Shi. I totally understand what you’re going through. It's hard to live up to expectations. I feel like I had a lot of them to try and prove that I was something that better than Akito the head of the family claimed that I was.” I showed him a picture of what they looked like on my phone from my last birthday that we had at uncle Shi’s last year. 

“Your family means a lot to you doesn’t it?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. 

“They really do and they’ve been amazing the last couple of months with me not speaking. I know it was hard for some of them especially for Aya since I was staying with him. I couldn’t go back to the main house, I just couldn’t go back there.” I put my head in my hands and tapped my foot against the ground.

“I can’t blame you, if I went through something like that I probably would have lost my voice too. I’m happy that you had such a loving support system. Your uncle Aya sounds really amazing.” I nodded my head that was hanging against my hands with a sad smile on my face.

“He really is going to do something to thank him. It couldn’t have been easy. He cried at night so many times thinking that he had lost his niece for good and I felt awful that I couldn’t reach out to him. Kyo he’s my cousin that is the foster son of the head of the dojo that I still frequent when he’s in town, he told me that I was the strongest person he knows. I don’t see how. I lost my will to speak, sounds pretty weak if you’re asking me.” I trailed off and my new friend sent me this expression not pity but understanding.

“I don’t consider it a weakness that you lost your voice Fumi-chan. In fact I consider it strength that you were able to get through it and come out mostly okay. Apart from a couple of things you mostly remained your happy self and I find that incredibly encouraging to those who have gone through similar familial problems. Your uncle doesn’t sound like he is the type of person to be super vindictive about that kinda thing. He sounds like the type of man that’s just going to hug you tightly and then sit you down and talk with you carefully about what happened. I think it’s great that you have such encouraging family members. Your cousins all love you more than anything and they treasure your sweet smile.” Manabe-kun reasoned and I smiled softly at my new friend that I was making.

“That’s what my uncle Shigure told me yesterday that sometimes people just shut down and that’s kind of what I did. I worried my dad a lot and I didn’t really want to. He works a lot so I was often with uncle Aya growing up if I wasn’t with one of my cousins or sensei. You pretty much nailed the personality of my uncle right there though. He is easily one of the most loving people that I have in my life. My cousins are some of my favorite people honestly and I am so glad that they have still remained this huge part of my life.” My new friend listened to me as the bell rang and people started to file through the classroom.

“I’m sure that your dad was only worried about you because you are his little girl and he loves you more than anything if the things that you talk about are true.” He told me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear into my ponytail.

“Good morning my young scientists!!” Mr. Tatsuya introduced the class and I smiled softly at the fact that I was starting this whole new school.

“Today it’s just our first day so we’re going to get to know our lab partners that will be yours for the rest of the year. I hope that you’re sitting next to somebody that you like because you’re not getting out of this. If there are complications please come and see me after class.” He told the group and I smiled brightly at Manabe-kun who playfully arranged the papers properly. I laughed at my new friend and he in turn cleared his throat jokingly.

“Okay Fumi-chan, what is your favorite color?” I laughed a little bit already knowing where this was going since I had been around the crazy head all day.

“Blue? No no it’s green!!” I did an over exaggerated yell and when I heard that adorable laugh I instantly knew that I was screwed for anybody else. This was going to be it for me. If he didn’t reciprocate the feelings that were building up inside of me then I wasn’t going to find anybody else.

“In all seriousness that was the first question I just wanted to see if you got my reference.” I smiled softly, getting out my own sheet of paper for the boys.

“My favorite color is cherry flower pink. Spring is my favorite time of year since my brother and I always go and watch the cherry blossoms fall.” I told him honestly looking at the first question that was for him.

“What is your favorite movie?” I asked him and he hummed in thought for a second before he smiled softly at me.

“My favorite movie is probably Princess Bride. It’s got everything in it fighting, humor, heart and an amazing romance.” He winked at me playfully and I felt my cheeks start to heat up in color.

“What is your favorite movie? I feel like I already know the answer to this question.” I laughed a little bit at my new friend.

“It’s actually not what you think and it’s a live action movie from America. My favorite movie is a romantic comedy drama called Skeleton Twins. My uncle took me to go and see it a few years ago in theaters and I absolutely loved it. It was at our underground local one nearest to Akihabara where he works at his costume shop and he heard that they were showing it. I fell in love with it’s story and it’s characters almost instantly. They spoke to me in a way that was so personal and so different.” I tried not to talk too much about my love of the movie for fear of boring him but he just hung on my every word.

“That sounds amazing, I’ll have to watch it with you sometime. Alright you’re up next beautiful.” He told me and I flushed a bright pink wanting to bury myself underneath the desk and never come out again.

“Do you have any siblings? God these are too easy, I already know the answer to these questions because of our talking this morning. Yes and her name is Machi right?” I asked him in clarification as he looked at me starstruck. 

“I’m surprised that you remembered that. Your’s is Momiji right?” I nodded my head with a bright smile looking for something that was a little bit more complicated. 

“Ah here’s one!! What is your dream occupation?” I asked my new friend and he hummed in thought for a second.

“I really want to be a teacher actually for science funnily enough. I used to not be good at school. I was kinda depressed and withdrew a lot last year. Be lucky that you didn’t know me then.” He smiled at me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“Who do you most look up to in your life that you are not related to?” He asked me and I felt the small smile showing on my face.

“I really love Rob Paulson. He's a voice actor for American cartoons. He voiced the original Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko and Pinky in Animaniacs and Pinky and The Brain, Carl Wheezer I could go on all day.” Kakeru just sat there with a small smile on his face as he sighed wistfully.

“Please do.” I blushed a bright pink as I realized that I had indeed spoken too much about my hero.

“He is also a throat cancer survivor. He had it a few years ago. He thankfully got better because I was so happy that he was going to make it. I’ve looked up to him all of my life but I could listen to his characters forever. He makes me laugh and I think the thing that you have to do in order for me to love you is to make me laugh.” I elaborated and Kakeru just opened his brown eyes that held a certain sparkle of kindness to them.

“You are so adorable, alright we’ve robbed enough time already. Whatcha got for me?” I laughed at my friend and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. 

“I’ve got a favorite actor.” I told him and he instantly closed his eyes in thought before they widened for a second.

“My favorite actor is Robin Williams, it’s been that way ever since I was a little kid. Phenomenal cosmic powers…” I laughed at the reference that he was going for writing down his response and finishing the rest of the quote up for him.

“Itty bitty living space!! Nice one, I love Robin Williams. He's one of my biggest heroes too.” I saw my new friend just smile softly at me and it looked like he had just realized that he had seen the most beautiful person.

“You are truly amazing, you know that?” I shook my head with a bright pink blush on my cheeks as he just leaned his head on his hand.

“Why do you deny it whenever I say that you’re cute or when somebody praises your talents that you’re naturally good at?” He asked me and I looked at the boy that had been changing the way that I had been taught to think for the last fifteen minutes.

“Because you don’t even know me Manabe-kun. You don’t know how it feels to be me.” I hung my hand looking down at my shoes and he surprised me by taking my hand.

“Then tell me, what is it like to be you?” I looked up shocked that he had been asking me the tough questions.

“It’s hard to remain strong sometimes, to act like the family didn’t get to me when they did. To pretend that the cruel things they would say about me weren’t true. I’m exactly what they told me, a daughter born out of wedlock who’s dad would be better off without the burden of having to carry me around with him everywhere he goes. There were moments when I just wanted to snap and yell at them that they weren’t right but they are. They got to me and I can’t get them out. The awful things that they told me they will be forever etched into my membrane and I can’t ever forget them. They hurt me and I don’t know how to actually believe that I’m cute in the eyes of people that aren’t biased like my uncles or my dad or my brother.” I told him and he squeezed my hand encouragingly trying to be understanding of my situation.

“You don’t have to be strong all of the time. You can lean on other people. I might not know you well enough but I want to know you. I can see that you are a kind person who has only ever asked for unconditional love and so few people actually gave you that love. I’m going to make you a promise. I want to date you one day. However, I also want to know you before I do that. That might take a long time but I’m a patient knight and I’m willing to do anything if it means that one day I’ll be able to protect you with everything that I have. I’ll keep you safe from your family that you aren’t close to, that treated you like shit and the head of your family that doesn’t even know you and yet decided to judge you and hurt you. It sounds like they have hurt a lot of people in your family either mentally or physically and in your case he did both. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there to hold you when it all happened but I want to be there now. As a best friend and later as a boyfriend. I know I probably sound nuts but I want to get to know you.” Manabe-kun sent me a look of kindness and I felt the tears that were coming to my eyes. He squeezed my hand encouragingly and I felt myself wanting to become the girlfriend of the boy next to me. He was so kind to me willing to wait until he knew me better to actually date me.

“I’ve actually got a better idea, hold on one quick second.” Manabe-kun got out a piece of paper and started to write down questions on it and I did the same with mine just curious about various aspects of his life.

“I’m going to be right back milady.” He shot me a wink and I sighed wistfully wondering what it would be like to actually date him.  _ He would probably be the best boyfriend in the entire world… _ I thought wistfully and nodded my head with a small smile.

“And I’m back!!” He flopped down into his chair and I smiled a little bit at my new friend as he got comfortable again and actually changed his seat around so that he could face me.

“I only have one rule that I want to enforce while doing this, you have to maintain eye contact with me while we do this okay? I think that your eyes are some of the most beautiful blue that I have ever seen and I want for you to be comfortable enough around me.” He encouraged and I nodded my head looking up into those pools of chocolate that always were so emotive and so expressive that it continued to draw me in.

“Who is the cousin that you're closest to?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit surprised by the question.

“My best friend in the entire world is Kyo, the son of the dojo sensei that I went to. He knows how it feels to be shunned and outcast amongst the family and we were really drawn to each other. I tell him just about everything and he always listens to me. He doesn’t always understand what he’s feeling or why he’s feeling it but I love him so much. Kyo to me is the most relatable person that I have in my life. He’s always going to be my favorite cousin if you made me pick a favorite between him and technically Haru. I consider Haru more my brother than anything else.” I explained and he wrote down everything that I was saying so I made sure that I talked a little bit slower than I usually would.

“What is your favorite thing to do to detox after a long day?” I cocked my head to the side a little bit confused.

“I love to watch animated films to relax after a long day of school. I have a special attachment to The Hobbit, my uncle Shigure showed that one to me when I was very little. He is why I loved reading and literature so much even if I’m not as close with him. It’s one of my favorite memories that I have with him. He still watches it with me whenever I ask him if he doesn’t have a deadline and Lin will usually join as well.” I explained a little bit about the relationship between my cousin and my second uncle.

“I’ve actually never seen it so we’ll have to add that to the list of potential dates as well. Do you like stuffed animals?” I nodded my head enthusiastically with a bright smile on my face as I started to relax a little bit more.

“I actually love stuffed animals, I collect animal ones that my uncles gave me along with my dad and my brother. I have a snake that came from my uncle Aya when I was born, uncle Shi got me a dog, my dad got me a seahorse and a land otter that I named Martin. Momiji gave me a bunny, Kyo gave me a cat and Haru eventually gave me a cow. So yes I do love stuffed animals they are one of my favorite things.” I laughed a little bit at how embarrassing this was getting and I could see the wheels in Kakeru’s head were turning. 

“What is your favorite musicals?” He asked me and I looked at him and shook before I remembered that I had a Hamilton button on my backpack.

“My favorite musical is probably Fun Home and Hamilton because that one is one that my dad got me interested in. One of my favorite things is history especially of the revolutionary war time period. But my favorite musical is Fun Home by far. It’s the one that I most relate to emotionally coming from a nightmare of a family. The Beckdel family is a big old mess but that doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other or that they don’t care. It’s just that their dad totally took a sledgehammer to everything that they thought they knew.” I explained looking for my button that I got from the show when my uncle took me to New York so that I could see the show with my dad. I found it and pointed to it showing Manabe-kun that it was signed by the main actress Beth Malone and Judy Kuhn. 

“What is your favorite thing to do with Momiji?” I smiled softly at the mention of my brother that I adored.

“My favorite thing to do with my brother is gymnastics by far. He’s a little bouncing bean most of the time and he taught me a lot of his favorite moves that I can do. So we usually do that together, I’ll help him with his homework because he’s two years younger than I am. He’s just starting middle school so he’s still a little bit tiny. I love him more than anything though because we’re family and I don’t know where I would be without his influence on my life. He’s my little brother even if we’re not related by blood he’s still family to me.” I talked about my little brother and I felt tears come to my eyes at the thought that I wouldn’t get to see him everyday.

“Who is your favorite anime character of all time?” Manabe-kun smirked at me already seeing the answer and I couldn’t help but rub the back of my neck. 

“My favorite anime character is Edward Elric the FullMetal Alchemist from the FullMetal Alchemist franchise. He means the world to me and helped me sort of work through my trauma of these last few months. I spent a lot of time with my uncle Aya watching anime and helping him around the shop. I love to help him make clothes and he made me this Edward themed hoodie that I can’t wait to start wearing.” I told him and he just smiled softly at me as he listened to me about what I was going through.

“What is your favorite Disney song?” He asked me and I smiled brightly starting to hum the infectious tune that had changed my life when I was a little girl.

“My favorite Disney song is Be Our Guest, my dad jokes that it’s why I love musical theater so much now.” I tried to maintain eye contact with my new friend that was sitting across from me. It wasn’t actually as hard as I was expecting for it to be and I was able to melt into the close companionship with my new friend.

“Who is your favorite artist from America?” He asked me and I smiled softly swinging my legs back and forth against the ground.

“My favorite singer is Elton John, my uncle Shi actually got me tickets for my tenth birthday when he was in Tokyo. I grew up loving his music because of uncle Aya. He would always play him for me when I was growing up. My mom apparently loved Cat Stevens so I would also listen to a lot of him. I also love the music in animated films not just Disney but others as well. My favorite is probably The Hobbit and Return Of The King in that regard.” I smiled softly thinking about my childhood memories of being snuggled under blankets with Lin and uncle Shi watching those two movies all the time when we were younger.

“What is it that you look for in a future partner?” He shot me a playful wink and I felt my cheeks go a bright pink fighting to maintain the eye contact.

“I want somebody that understands me but can also put a stop to my brain sometimes. I want somebody that is naturally relaxed and doesn’t have much of a care in the entire world because sometimes I worry too much about what other people think of me. I want somebody that can make me laugh and help me forget about the times of pain. Somebody that can understand me and what I’m going through in the day to day life of me. I want to have somebody that can tune the noises in my head out so that I can just focus on the now. I guess it’s a little bit more complicated than I thought it was. I know that Lin, my sister and her dream boyfriend is Haru. She’s technically not a member of the family and we’re not all related.” I explained a little bit about the things that I want from a relationship.

“You can call me Kakeru by the way, it’s only fair since I’m calling you Fumi-Chan.” He smiled brightly at me and I wanted so badly to remember this feeling that I had built up inside of me. My heart was warm and I couldn’t help but feel like this boy would change everything in my life that I thought to be true.

“Can I ask you the same thing?” I asked him and he looked at me with a soft smile and heart eyes written all over his face.

“I want for her to be the type of person that doesn’t let me be a lazy ass all the time. I want somebody who I can wake up and be happy that I’m going to get to see them at school today. I want a girl that isn’t afraid to be herself and is open about the type of person that she is. I also would love for her to get along with Machi but that’s a little bit harder of a thing to ask for. I would love a girl that was happy a lot of time because I thrive off of the happiness of other people. She would need to be unashamedly herself, naturally kind, a bit of a brainiac because sometimes I struggle with school and classes, a natural cutie and somebody that I can see myself spending a lot of time with doing nerdy things. Have you ever seen Demon Slayer?” I nodded my head with a bright smile since that had been one of the shows that I was watching with Haru before coming out here to live with uncle Shi.

“I have actually!! I love that anime, it’s one of my all time favorites especially Inosuke. He's the best boy and nobody can tell me otherwise. At least he’s my favorite boy always ready to go but still one of the purest things that I have ever seen in my entire life.” Kakeru laughed at me and I could see the sparkle in his eyes that meant he was truly happy in this moment. I could see u doing this same thing years down the line snuggled under too many blankets because it was too cold for me to properly function and watch anime in my room.

“I love Zenitsu myself but Inosuke is one of my other favorites but we’re not talking about me. What is your biggest fear?” I bit back a small whimper at the idea of this thing but I stayed strong and maintained eye contact.

“I flat out can’t deal with spiders, I know kinda weak sauce but they scare me more than anything.” He smiled softly at me writing that down and I could see the protectiveness that was written all over his face. 

“I’m not afraid of spiders so I can take care of the pesky little buggers for you. I’m afraid of heights. What’s your favorite sweet treat and favorite food?” I blushed a bright pink pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“All of them? I love sweets pretty much more than anything but if I were to nail it down I would say that my favorite ice cream is birthday cake in a waffle cone and my favorite candy is gummy sharks. My favorite food is cashew chicken. I'm super bland.” I told him a little bit about my love of the gummy candy and he smiled brightly at me as if he was cataloging that information.

“I’ll remember that for later. When is your birthday? That’s not a question, I'm just curious so I can have a present for you.” I smiled softly with a small pink blush on my cheeks playing with the hem of my skirt. 

“My birthday is at the start of summer!! It's July 21st so you still have a lot of time before that happens. When is yours?” I asked him and he just smiled at me taking my hand in his to try and calm me down and get me to look back at him.

“Mine is right before Christmas, it's the 23rd of December.” I logged that date into the back of my mind so that I could make him a cake and that he could be happy on that day. It looked like he had been through a lot in his short life much like me. I didn’t care if uncle Shi made fun of me for it he most likely would get a kick out of me being a flustered disaster around him.

“Do you umm have a favorite type of cake?” I asked him and he laughed at me a little bit but I could see the smile on his face.

“It’s chocolate that’s my favorite kind of cake but I need to know yours too.” I smiled softly in return at my new friend that would hopefully become more than a friend. 

“Mine is shortcake-“ He looked at me with a soft expression on his face and what my uncle would tease me as heart eyes.

“The ones with strawberries in the middle!! Now I know what to get you for your birthday at least in terms of sweets.” He was interrupted by the bell for lunch and I put my bag over my shoulder with a small smile on my face.

“Are you going down to Honda’s classroom for lunch?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. 

“Yep, I’ll see you after lunch though!!” I waved to him and I sighed with a small wistful smile on my face as I walked down the stairs to the second floor finding their class and instantly smelling their lunch in there.

“Hey Fumi-chan over here!!” I heard Uo-chan call out to me and I smiled at the delinquent girl pulling up a chair.

“Hi Uo-chan.” I greeted and she looked at me with a thinned out eyebrow raised questioningly at me.

“So what’s going on? You’ve got this lovesick look on your face, don’t tell me you’ve started crushing on Manabe already.” She asked me and I laughed at my best friend with a small smile on my face as I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Ummm if I said maybe would you get angry with me?” Tohru grinned happily at me and she gave me a lunch that she had dished up for me.

“Nope!! I think that it’s really sweet that you and Manabe-kun are becoming such good friends.” I smiled softly at the fact that Tohru had cared so much about me. I took the first bite of my rice and smiled softly. It was delicious.

“Your waves seem a lot happier thanks to him so I will always be thankful for that. Plus he got you talking again. How long were you non-verbal?” Hana-chan asked me and I sipped my miso soup.

“For about five months since the incident had happened. My uncle Aya tried everything that he could think of to get me back to speaking again but it just wouldn’t work. I guess I needed to meet him. I’m sorry that I didn’t really listen to you Uo-chan but I think that he is a good person.” The woman in question smiled softly at me and she just kicked my foot with hers. I could tell that she wasn’t angry with her that it wasn’t in her nature to be truly angry with another person.

“Just know that if he hurts you I will kick his ass for you. I don’t think he will though he seems like a decent guy if a little bit lazy. You look like you could use somebody like that though to turn your brain off.” I nodded my head with a small smile. The only problem would be telling my dad about this even though I wasn’t a member of the zodiac anymore.

“I really could think too much for my own good a lot of the time. That doesn’t mean that I won’t need to be friends with you guys though.” I promised and Uo-chan started crying and Hana just handed her a tissue that she had in her skirt pocket.

“She gets overly emotional at things that she really shouldn’t but it’s fine. You mentioned that you have a big family?” I nodded my head talking animatedly with my hands for a second about my cousins.

“We’re not all related by blood but most are related by marriage. It makes relationships inside the family a little bit more than complicated but I’m close with about five of my cousins.” Tohru smiled brightly at me.

“I wish that I came from a big family like you do Fumi-chan. It must make birthdays really fun!!” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face thinking about my One Piece themed birthday party last year. 

“Oh yeah birthdays are kind of craziness but I love them I always have. My last one was themed to One Piece and all my cousins came. We went to the lake house that we have, well all my cousins except for two of them they ditched it. Yuki and Kyo can't go along to save each other's lives so I’m used to them not coming to my birthday party. Plus Yuki’s brother is my uncle Aya and he hates him. It’s kinda complicated but I love my family. I’m going to stop by his shop after school. It's going to be the first thing that I do because he worked so hard in these last five months to try and make me happy. I feel really bad that he didn’t get to work as much as he used to this year. I want to go there so that I can show him that I’m all better.” I told my friends and took some of the fried fish popping it into my mouth and chewing softly.

“Your uncle sounds like a really stand up guy, you're lucky that you have him.” I nodded my head at Uo-chan pushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile. 

“Both of my uncles are great and I love them but I’m extra close with uncle Aya. I spent a lot of time in his shop growing up since he always willingly babysat me when my dad was too busy. I’ll have to call him too at the main house. I'm not ready to go back there and I doubt that I ever will want to unless it’s New Years and I have to.” I fixed my bow a little bit that was tying my hair back and smiled softly at the fact that I had friends now.

“You’ll have to come and meet my mom tomorrow then!!” Tohru encouraged and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. 

“I am sure that Kyoko will adore her. She has that sort of sunshine aura about her.” Hana-chan encouraged and I laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Of course she’ll like her!! Kyoko is a sucker for anything cute so you’ll be her new favorite person other than the three of us.” Uo-chan encouraged me and I smiled softly at this new group of at long last female friends that I had made. I loved eating lunch with the company of other people since I was so used to sitting and eating it alone. The bell rang and I fixed my skirt a little bit. 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!!” I waved to my friends and Uo-chan called after me wishing me luck with Kakeru. I went up the stairs again to see my desk neighbor and he smiled brightly at me. 

“Did you have a nice lunch with your friends?” I nodded my head putting my backpack across the back of my chair. 

“Yes I did, did you eat with your sister?” He nodded his head with a small smile on his face as I sat down next to him.

“She really liked your violin playing surprisingly. She’s a good person she just needs a little bit of warming up to before she can totally trust you.” I smiled softly at the fact that his sister did like me at the very least.

“I’m kind of the same way so I think that the two of us will get along just fine.” He smirked a little bit at me and I could see the teasing sparkle in his eyes.

“I mean she better grow to like you, we will be dating eventually.” He tossed me a flirty wink and I melted into the desk in a puddle of flustered awkward disaster. 

“Sorry I couldn't help myself with that one. You love reading books right? I forgot to ask what your favorite book series was earlier.” I smiled softly at my friend that was trying to get to know me and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m a massive fantasy nut job so other than Lord Of The Rings my favorite book series is the Earthsea books!! It’s basically Harry Potter but actually well written.” He let out this sound of utter fake shock.

“What if you don’t like the main character not learning anything by the end of those books? What kind of person are you hun?” I rolled my eyes until the pet name caught up with me and I blushed a bright pink. 

“N-No I’m not the biggest fan though don’t tell Lin that because she thinks that I’m a fan of them.” He zipped his lips closed and threw away the key causing me to laugh at my friend and desk partner. I heard the bell ring for the end of the day and I swung my backpack over my shoulder and heard the back of my leg pop.

“What are your plans?” Kakeru asked me and I laughed a little bit at me pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I am going to see my uncle Aya in Akihabara since I am now officially feeling a little bit better and at least talking. I need to give him a big hug for all that he’s been doing for the last few months. He wasn’t working nearly as much as he could since I was taking up the majority of his time.” Kakeru held the door open the door for me and he smiled softly as I talked about my favorite uncle.

“Oh well that’s a bummer, I was going to ask you to go out for ice cream with me. Maybe tomorrow?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face, trying my hair again and he looked at me with my hair down.

“I’m going to meet Tohru’s mom tomorrow afternoon but the day after that hell yes I’d be down for some ice cream!!” My friend laughed a little bit at me and he fluffed my hair a little bit. I could see by the expression on his face that he was definitely a hair down kind of person especially with my hair.

“You should leave your hair down more often Fumi-chan it’s beautiful that way.” I laughed a little bit, tying my hair up a little bit more.

“I’ll take your consideration up with the hair stylist. She says that she’ll do it that way tomorrow.” He laughed at me and held the main doors open for me as I settled down into the atmosphere of me just talking with my new friend.

“See you tomorrow Fumi-chan!!” He waved to me and my heart started to ache at the fact that I was already missing his chaotic but at the same time calming energy. I took out my phone and filtered through my contacts finding my dad and putting the phone on my cheek as I followed the rest of the crowd out of the room.

_ “Hatori Sohma, who is calling?”  _ Hearing the sound of my dad’s voice made the ache go away the smallest bit. 

“Hi daddy!!” I said enthusiastically hearing my dad’s somewhat sharp intake of breath and I knew that I had made a good decision.

_ “Fumiko?! You spoke!!”  _ I laughed a little bit at my dad fixing my hair a little bit more as I walked down the road to the train station.

“I did dad!! I made some new friends and they were really helpful with my little speaking problem.” I wanted to tell him about Kakeru but part of me was a little bit scared to talk about my new male friend with him.

_ “Oh sweetheart, I’m so glad that you’re talking again. You really scared me for a long time there and I wasn’t able to help you out with your problems. You’ll never have to see Akito again if I have anything to say about it, not for New Years not ever.”  _ He asked me and I nodded my head with a nervous look in my eyes.

“I did make a friend in my class and yes daddy he is a guy. I really like him though dad, he’s different from most of the other people that I’ve met in my life. And I think that he really likes me too.” My dad sighed a little bit and I could tell that he was emotionally exhausted from the last few days.

_ “What’s his name?”  _ He asked me and I smiled softly at my dad being his usual over protective self.

“His name is Kakeru Manabe dad and I’ll bring him to the house so that you can interrogate him once we start dating. We’re just getting to know each other right now, he wanted to be friends with me first.” I walked to the train station so that I could get on the ride to Akihabara and see my favorite uncle.

_ “Oh hun I’m so happy for you, I’ll try and be supportive of you and your decisions. I am a little bit worried that you’ll get hurt but the way that you talk about him that you really like him. Is he your desk neighbor in class?”  _ I nodded my head with a soft smile on my face as he wasn’t really angry with me thankfully.

“Yes he is my desk neighbor he’s my lab partner in science. He’s a bit chaotic but that’s not a bad thing, he’s also hella lazy like sleep in class lazy. But I think that I need that in my life somebody that is lazy and who gets me to take a break.” I heard my dad laugh a little bit at the description of my desk partner.

_ “He definitely sounds entertaining to say the least and I’m glad that he makes you so happy, sweetheart. I’ve missed your voice so much these last five months…”  _ I instantly felt tears start to come to my eyes at the thought of all the trauma that I had put my dad through.

“I’m sorry dad for everything that I put you through. I didn’t mean to be such a pain in your side all these years. I promise though, from now on I’m going to do everything in my power to make you proud of me.” I swore and my dad just laughed a little bit at me. I knew that he didn’t mean it to be cruel or anything like that but I knew that he was just doing it out of love.

_ “Fumiko you don’t have to work hard to make me proud of you. I’m already proud of you and everything that you have accomplished.”  _ I made a disbelieving sound with my tongue. What had I accomplished? Next to nothing in my fourteen years of life when my dad as already knowing what he wanted to do with his.

_ “Don’t you give me that Fumiko, you have accomplished plenty in your life. You read Lord Of The Rings by yourself at nine, I didn’t do that until I was at least your age. You have successfully mastered the art of the violin and the piano by the time that you were six. I’m very proud of you sweetheart!! I know that you’ve been working hard to make me happy but I’m always proud of you and your brother. No matter what you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”  _ My dad praised and I smiled softly at the fact that he was so proud of me.

“Thank you daddy, that really helps. How has your day been?” I asked him and heard his gentle sigh that translated into very long.

_ “It’s been exhausting, it seems like Akito is sick again so I’ve been constantly running around the house trying to get everything done. I’m just really tired of everything that has been going on in the family house lately. I’ve missed having you around though.”  _ I smiled softly at the fact that my dad was lonely without having me around.

“I’m sorry that your day has been so tiring daddy. I’ve missed you so much too daddy even though we’ve only been apart for about a day.” I admitted and I could hear the smile in my dad’s voice. I lived for these moments, the quiet ones where I could just talk with my dad. He was usually so busy that I rarely got the chance to.

_ “I know princess but it’s for the best that you live with Shigure for the time being. I think that being with your cousins will be good for you. How’s Kyo?”  _ I smiled softly pushing a lock of black hair behind my ear.

“He’s good, at least I think he’s good. Looks like he might be leaving again really soon though probably training with sensei in the mountains again. Speaking of the mountains, Lin told me about your remedy. Do you really think it will work this time?” I asked him and I heard his sigh of tragedy.

_ “It’s a last resort and the last thing that I could think of. At the most it’ll take her three full years to be at your health but I want her to be able to walk on her own without help. You’ll still be able to visit and see her every weekend and I’m sure that Haru will accompany you. I wouldn’t try to keep basically your sister from you. Speaking of Lin, she has an appointment a little bit so I can’t stay on the phone for too long.”  _ I smiled softly at the thought of my younger sister getting her check up from my dad.

“I just hope that this plan of yours all works out in the end this time dad. I can’t deal with her not being able to live her life to the fullest extent. She deserves the right to go to high school with Haru and Momiji not be stuck at home doing stupid homeschool. I know that you’ll heal her though. You’ve helped a lot of people in the family.” I was encouraged right as I came to the train station and I knew that I would have to hang up on him.

_ “I think it will and she’ll finally be able to live a somewhat normal life. As normal as you can get for being the daughter of the moon spirit. She’ll still have to have checkups and everything just like Yuki does every six months just to make sure that she is still healing even afterwards. Did I hear you say that you were near the train station though? Then I should let you go Fumiko, I love you.”  _ I smiled softly repeating the sentiment back to him and hanging up my phone. I put it into my backpack getting out my student ID that got me on the train anywhere I wanted to go for free which really came in handy for the forty five minute ride to Akihabara. I put my earbuds in and leaned my back against the comfortable chair of the train. I watched as the bullet train made it’s way to my uncle’s shop. I stood up with a small smile on my face and dusted off my skirt gently. I saw the crazy funky lights of Akihabara and instantly felt like I was back at my second home. I walked amongst the crowded streets surrounded by maid cafes and anime stores until I found my uncle’s shop. I opened the front door and instantly the scent of sakura tree blossoms hit me in the face like a balm to my anxious soul. 

“Hello?” I called into the shop and saw Mine peak her head around the corner instantly running towards me.

“Fumi-chan!! You’re healed!!” I hugged the woman that had basically been like an aunt to me over the course of my life and I smiled softly at her.

“Yes I am, do you know where my uncle is? I’d really like to talk to him if I can.” She smiled softly at me leading me down the hallway.

“I’ve hardly seen him all day, seems like he’s been getting a lot of personal requests asking to be done specifically by him since you left five months ago. He doesn’t usually like to be disturbed when he’s like this but I think that he’ll love to see you back to yourself.” I smiled at my auntie and she led me to his main workroom that now had a closing door.

“I feel really bad that he did everything he could to make me talk again. I know it was a lot of work for him and that he was barely doing his job.” Mine stopped walking and put her hand on my shoulder with a small smile. 

“Your uncle didn’t want to work because he loves you more than anything in the entire world. You were the only thing on his mind during your say here. He just wanted to hear you laugh and speak again and he missed your soft smile when he made you laugh. I’m just sorry that I couldn’t do a whole lot.” I smiled softly at Mine and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“It’s not your fault that his shop is really popular and somebody had to work. I just feel bad because he had to take time off to spend it with me.” Mine just pulled me into a tightly wound hug and I smiled softly at her. 

“He took time off to spend it with you because he wanted to. He loves you more than anything Fumi-chan, he really does. You’re his favorite niece between you and Lin it’s always been you and I think that she knows that. It was hard for her to swallow but her favorite is Hatori anyways since she feels indebted to him.” Mine encouraged me as she always did and I smiled softly at my uncle’s coworker that I knew he had feelings for but couldn’t act on them because of our curse.

“I know that he loves me but I also know that having me not speaking was really emotionally taxing on him. I just feel like I let him down somehow.” Mine just shushed me gently rubbing a soothing motion into my back.

“You didn’t let anybody down Fumi-chan it’s been a hard year for you. Seeing you like that it was killing Ayame he didn’t want to tell you because he thought that if he put a smile on and just tried his best that you would get better.” She told me and my heart broke for my uncle who had tried so hard to get me back to talking. He had tried every trick in the book to bring me back from my trauma but in the end it had been Kakeru that succeeded in doing it. She led me to my uncle’s office and peaked her head into the room with a bright smile on her face.

“Ayame!! You have a visitor!!” Mine told me and I looked at my uncle with a small smile on my face. 

“Oh Fumiko!!” He instantly stood up wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. I melted into my uncle’s hug and he made me feel so much better and like I was right at home.

“Hi uncle Aya!!” He pulled back from the hug, his eyes widening and I saw the tears start to appear there and he easily pulled me back in a hug.

“Oh my darling, you’re back to talking again. I’ve missed the sweet sound of your voice!!” He told me and I instantly felt tears come to my eyes.

“I’m sorry…” He pulled back from the hug getting down on my level with a small smile on his face.

“What are you sorry for my darling?” He asked me and I felt myself curling in a little bit but my dad’s best friend just stayed right by my side as he always did.

“I’m sorry that you had taken off of work for so long and now you’re buried in it. I didn’t mean to be such a pain to you.” I apologized and he just shook his head at me taking my hands in his to help calm me down.

“I’ll go and get you both some tea.” Mine told me with a small wink as I knew that tea meant hot chocolate for me. She made the best hot chocolate classic comfort drink of mine especially when it was still a little bit chilly out.

“You were not a pain Fumi-chan you never have been and you never will be. I wanted to take care of you, maybe I felt guilty for not being there. You are one of the most important people in my life and I would do anything to keep you safe and happy. I told myself the minute that you opened your eyes and laughed at me after you were born that I would do anything to keep you laughing. It was me that should apologize. I wasn’t there to protect you but I’m so glad that Haru was.” He apologized and I just shook my head. The tears finally started to fall from my eyes and I quickly tried to wipe them away.

“Me too, I’ll give him a big hug the next time that I see him. I made some new friends at school today.” He patted the chair that was next to his and I smiled softly at him hopping next to him so that I could talk with him while he worked. 

“Tell me about them, any boys?” He winked playfully at me and laughed when a bright pink blush came across my cheeks.

“There is a boy!! Oh my favorite little niece finally has a crush.” He teased and poked my cheek gently with his sewing pencil.

“He’s my desk neighbor, his name is Kakeru Manabe. Something tells me that you’d really like him, you're both extremely chaotic. I have a feeling that Yuki wouldn’t like him though…” My uncle sighed a little bit and I could see that his eyes were serious.

“Do you like this boy, this Kakeru Manabe character?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I really like him uncle, I know that it sounds crazy but I do. He’s a good person I can see it.” He smiled softly at me as Mine came back with our respective drinks and cookies.

“Then it shouldn’t matter what any of your cousins think about him. If you care about this person then the rest of the world shouldn’t matter. Now why did you call me chaotic?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit not believing that he didn’t know how chaotic he really was.

“I speak only the truth uncle Aya, sometimes being around you is exhausting due to how extra you are. Don’t take that as a con or anything I love you it’s a good chaotic energy that I love being around. It’s just that kind of energy where it’s good to be around because I’m usually so quiet. I think I need a chaotic partner because I feel like I can be myself around them. He’s different from most people uncle. I feel like he really understands me.” I took a sip from my hot chocolate feeling the warm and sugary goodness start to fuel me after a long day of dealing with people.

“It’s okay sweetheart I know I’m sort of exhausting to be around. It’s not my fault that the rest of the world moves too slowly for me to keep up.” I laughed at my uncle because that was one way of putting it. 

“I’m so happy that you’re doing better and would love to hear more about your day.” I wondered sometimes if my relationship with my uncle was his way of making up for the fact that him and Yuki weren’t as close as they could be. This was one of those times when I wondered if he was trying to atone for that, not that I minded really.

“Well let’s see, the girl that showed me around the school was a year younger than me her name is Tohru Honda but she was really quite lovely. She’s really happy and bubbly a lot of the time. There’s also her two friends that pretty much adopted me as a third in their quartet Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajama. I also played violin today!!” I told him excitedly and he just smiled softly at me taking one of the sugar cookies off the tray in front of us.

“How did that go? What did you play?” I smiled softly taking another sip from my coco and just enjoying the bonding time with me and my uncle. 

“I played Town With An Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service and a lot of my classmates really loved it. My friends kept telling me that I should join some sort of orchestra when I get older.” My uncle smiled softly at me sewing up the dress that he was working on. I loved my uncle more than anything in the entire world. 

“I think I’ll miss Haru and Momiji since I’m not living on grounds anymore though…” I admitted and my uncle just smiled softly at me.

“I wouldn’t give up hope on those two just yet. I’m sure that Hatsuharu will come and visit you at Gure’s house!!” My uncle encouraged being the forever optimist that he was. Looking back on it, that's probably how I became one as well.

“I know Haru comes over to the house to see Lin and everything. One day those two will get together and it will be soo cute. It’ll make it all the more worth it for me because I know how happy that he makes her and vice versa. Besides I would probably miss him the most other than my brother. I’ll probably disobey that rule sometimes to see dad since he wants to interrogate Kakeru once we start dating. I’d rather be let free of the curse at the end of the day though so I can live a normal life. I’d hate it if I could still turn into an otter.” I gripped him just smiled softly at me sewing the hem of the item that he was working on.

“I do indeed hope that those two figure out that their feelings for each other are in fact requited. Shigure as good as made them betrothed when they were children. They both are your best friends. It made me happy as kids to see you and Haru together because you calmed him down.” I smiled at the memory of me always being Black Haru’s kryptonite other than Lin. He told me that I calmed the rage down when he could feel that I was there he would snap out of it. He told me that I calm him down so I’ve always kind of worn that badge with pride. He’s easily my best friend inside of the family, probably sometimes even more than Kyo. It’s never been hard for me to talk to him about anything that is going on in my life. Besides he’s a sweetheart and I could snuggle him forever as light Haru.” He was easily the clingiest out of all my cousins not that I’m complaining but it was just something that a lot of my family found odd.

“You two were always so cute growing up!! I have a lot of pictures of you two growing up since he was always really clingy with you. Remember ‘family movie nights’?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face. 

“Yes!! I loved family movies nights with him and Momiji. We would build a pillow fort and dad would have all these snacks for the night. I grew up with those two constantly attached to my side. I loved it though because I could look out for them. It made me happy that they liked being around me so much.” My uncle leaned his head on my shoulder and I looked up at my favorite uncle.

“How long do you think that you can stay?” He asked me and I hummed in thought for a second checking my clock.

“I think I should start heading home but I’ll come by this weekend how about that?” He smiled softly at me kissing my cheek gently as I slipped my backpack over my shoulder.

“That sounds perfect!! I’ll have better snacks by then since I haven’t gone to the store in a little while.” I nodded my head and I waved to Mine as I walked my way back to the store. I fixed my tie a little bit and smiled softly as I went to the train station. As I walked my way back home I saw a very familiar face looking at a map.

“Haru?” I asked and I saw the familiar bronze eyes come to look at me as I saw a bright smile start to form.

“Fumi, you spoke? You’re talking again? I heard from your dad that you got moved up to sensei’s house and I wanted to be there to help you get better. I got lost though since his house is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I’m sorry that I wasn’t in there to protect you. I should have known that something was up when he just randomly asked for you to come to see him.” He told me and I just smiled softly at the boy that was more like my little brother.

“Come on space cadet, I’ll walk with you there. You’re lucky I ran into you. How was school today?” I asked him and he took my hand gently. I looked at him with a soft smile on my face squeezing it encouragingly.

“It was okay today. How was your new school?” He asked me a little bit worried in his tone and I instantly just knew that he was trying to look out for me.

“It was great!! I made my first female friends!! They are amazing and I also made friends with my desk neighbor as well. I just came from my uncle's shop so I wanted to visit him. That’s where I’ve been the past few months. He took me in and kept me safe from Akito for as long as he could. When he found out where I was dad told me that I had to leave and go to uncle Shi’s.” I explained a little bit about my day and my cousin just squeezed my hand gently.

“Is that desk neighbor of yours a boy?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck as my cheeks started to pink. 

“Is it that obvious?” He laughed a little bit at me, the soft one where he made it known that he was just teasing me a little bit. 

“It’s kind of obvious just a little bit. It’s especially so if you know the person well enough. You wear your emotions on your sleeve.” I smiled softly at my best friend that had been there for me since the beginning of the situation.

“I love you Haru, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And speaking of somebody wearing their emotions on their sleeves, hello pot I’m kettle.” I teased gently and he just smiled softly at me.

“I love you too Fumiko, you're one of the best friends that I’ve got. One of the few people that wasn’t scared of me.” I smiled softly at my best friend and felt myself getting a little bit misty eyed.

“I’d never be scared of you, not now not ever. You’re my best friend sometimes more than even Kyo. Both of you, you’re always there for me when I need you to be.” He leaned his head on my shoulder with a bright smile on his face. 

“Of course I’m always there when you need me to be. It’s part of the best friend contract. Remember when Lin had us all make those when we were kids? Because she didn’t think that we would stick around? I think they were written in crayon.” I laughed loudly at the memory of my younger sister figure making those contracts.

“Of course I remember!! I have mine framed back in my room…” I figured that this would be the best time to tell him that I wasn’t allowed back on Sohma property. 

“About that, according to Akito I have been exiled. I can no longer transform into my otter form. I spent a month in it if you can remember that. I know that you visited me everyday and tried to get me to speak. I know you got irritated with me and I’m sorry about that.” I apologized and he just shook his head that was still attached to my shoulder as we went up through the woods. 

“Don’t apologize for that. It’s my fault for letting my irritation get the better of me. I should have kept my cool better. I know that you went through a lot during that period of time Fumi and I was probably just making it worse by being there for you. I just wanted to hear you talk again. I missed your voice and I missed you constantly lecturing me when I lost control of my temper. You’re the only one that the other personality seems to listen to.” He encouraged me as he always did that little part of my brain that was the encouraging one always sounded just like Haru.

“I was wondering if you would be willing to bring the rest of my stuff from my room with you the next time you come to visit Lin. Like my GIR hoodie?” I put my two index fingers together and he just smiled at me.

“I’ll get it for you. Are you going to tell me about this boy yet or am I going to have to call up Ayame?” He asked me and I blanched a little bit knowing that my uncle would be more than happy to brag about his favorite niece finally feeling something for a boy.

“I’ll tell you just don’t call up uncle Aya please he’ll run his mouth you know he will. His name is Kakeru Manabe. He’s a bit of a goofball, he’s got hella chaotic energy but at the same time I can see that he’s a really amazing person. He’s kind, he’s got an amazing laugh that I could hear for hours on end, he loves reading books, he’s an anime fan as well. We just have a lot in common yet our core personality traits are the complete opposite of the others. He’s really amazing Haru. I know that you’re really protective over me but this is a good egg. I didn’t talk until he asked me what my name was probably expecting for me to write it down. It’s like through him asking me who I was, all my words were finally unlocked and I could be myself again.” I smiled softly at him and tied my ponytail a little bit better in the back fixing the ribbon that was starting to come undone. 

“It sounds like you really like him. I’m happy for you Fumi. I can’t think of anyone who deserves happiness more than you. It’s surprising to me that you haven’t been attached to any boy before or anyone for that matter.” He told me and I laughed a little bit playing with the hem of my skirt.

“I thought that I was aromantic before him I guess. It’s kinda funny considering how much I love romance in film. I just doubted that it would really ever happen to me. I guess I wasn’t expecting to find love either this young or really at all. I mean you know my dad and how well love worked out for him. But I’m still happy for some reason.” I laughed at the idea of me actually being happy because of someone else and not having to put on this big show to prove how much stronger I am. 

“I’m glad that you're happy if I were to think of anybody that the world just shits on but deserves the world it’s you. I never thought of you as aromantic. More like you were just waiting for the right goofball to make you happy. Remember Tamaki in Ouran?” I mentally face palmed at the memory of that long suffering pining for a 2D character that Lin and him never let me live down. 

“You just had to be a piece of trash and bring that up didn’t you? Lin still doesn’t let me live that down I’ll have you know. I still will fight anyone who says that Tamaki wasn’t the best in that show. I have arguments with Lin every time she brings it up.” I heard Haru’s gentle laugh at me as we walked up the multitude of steps to uncle Shi’s house that he had bought on the Sohma property up here so that Yuki and Kyo could live off grounds. 

“I’m back!!” I called into the house and saw Yuki peak his head around the corner and Haru instantly dropped my hand to give Yuki a hug.

“I ran into him on my way home looking at a map. Poor kid got lost on his way here again, can’t blame him we are in the middle of nowhere. Where’s Kyo?” I asked Yuki and I could see by the expression on his face that I had just asked the wrong question.

“Right, forgot who I was talking to for a second. I think I saw him up on the roofs. I'll go and bother him a little bit later. How was your day Yuki?” I asked my cousin and he just sighed a little bit with a tired smile.

“It was good. Exhausting but good. Nice to know that you’re back to talking again. Shigure had to take Lin to a doctor's appointment at the main house a little bit ago. How was your day Fumiko?” I nodded my head with a small smile as Haru came back over to my side of the room and sat down next to me putting his arm comfortingly around my shoulders. 

“My day was good, yeah, I made some new friends. I finally made some girlfriends that aren’t Lin. Not that I don’t love her but still I was starting to think that I had this curse on me that drove most people other than you nutcases away.” I joked and my best friend stuck his tongue out at me. I could see his first piercing, his tongue piercing poking out at me and I laughed at my childhood friend. 

“I don’t know who you’re calling a nutcase but it better not be me.” He shot back at me and I laughed at my best friend snuggling into his side. 

“Newsflash Haru she is definitely talking about you.” Yuki shot back at him and my best friend sighed petulantly leaning further into my side. 

“She met a boy.” He told my cousin like the little tattletale that he was and I instantly blushed a bright pink not wanting to have this talk with my cousin who I wasn’t even really that close to.

“Mr. Blabbermouth over here I can’t tell you anything without you running off and telling everyone. I made friends with my desk neighbor Kakeru Manabe. He's a good guy. Don’t worry I can’t transform anymore as far as I know. I’m probably as good as outcast from the family at this point. Yet I can still hug all of you so I don’t really know what to do anymore.” My cousin sat down next to me at the futon with a small smile on his face.

“Well then you shouldn’t run into any problems then. I’m happy for you Fumiko, you deserve this to be actually happy. I know that the family always talked poorly about you and you didn’t deserve that so it’s probably for the best that you can’t transform anymore. Everything happens for a reason and so that must have been a part of your plan.” Yuki reasoned and I nodded my head with a small smile. 

“I know that I want to be happy with him. It might sound nuts since I haven’t even known him a full day yet but there’s just something that’s different about him. A certain sparkle if you will. He’s mischievous but also hella chaotic if anything he reminded me of uncle Aya. Sorry I know that you don’t like to talk about him.” I apologized and I watched as my younger cousin shuddered a little bit.

“Yeah best not to bring that up, I know that you two were always close but they aren’t.” I felt a little bit of anxiety creep up my spine and I smiled sadly.

“I’ll just go and find Kyo.” I told them, leaving the futon and I went up the stairs until I eventually reached the roof. 

“Hey want some company?” I asked him and he looked over at me and I could see the little glimpse of a smile on his face.

“Sure. Looks like you figured out your little talking problem. How did that happen?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit awkwardly.

“You’ll never believe me when I tell you. It was a boy, my desk neighbor and he introduced himself to me then it was like the switch was turned on and I just started to talk again.” I told him and I could see the small laugh that left my best friend.

“So you’re telling me that all you really needed was a cute guy to talk to you and then all your words would be opened up again?” I laughed at my cousin sitting down next to him zipping up my hoodie.

“Well when you say it like that…” I joked and it just felt so good to laugh with him again. I had a feeling that he was covering a lot of things up, mostly the fact that his eyes looked just that little bit sadder now that I had come.

“Seriously though, a guy?” I nodded my head leaning back and looking up at the beautiful stars. I had taught him stargazing when I was little and other bug finding it had been his main special interest.

“Yes a guy Hades from Hercules I’m just messing with you. His name is Kakeru Manabe if you really want to know. He’s a good person, at least I think he is. I know I haven’t known him for very long but I feel this kinda connection with him that’s really hard for me to explain. He reminds me a lot of uncle Aya. Both are kinda chaotic but deep down so loving if you get where they are coming from like I do.” Kyo listened to me talk about my new friend that I had made putting his arm around my shoulders.

“If you say that he’s a good guy then I’ll trust you Fumiko, that's just what we do. I never thought that I’d see the day when an actual person not a 2-D animated character caught your attention.” I shoved his side gently with a small smile on my face. 

“I wasn’t really expecting it either, it just kind of happened and now he’s interested in me. He just wants to be my friend first though that’s what I found to be so interesting. I am a little bit scared that this could all blow up in my face. Mostly because love doesn’t work out for us Sohma’s so well. I don’t have my zodiac form anymore though. My dad thinks it’s because Akito officially disowned me. So that makes things a lot less complicated.” One of the things that I loved about Kyo was that he wasn’t the most judgmental person in the entire world. He would listen to my problems, give me no bullshit and then offer me advice. 

“Well I mean I can’t blame the guy you’re a pretty great person I mean speaking from a completely biased point of view. I wouldn’t be scared. He seems like the clingy type just like you so he’ll attach himself to your side and not let you go. Do you know for sure?” I nodded my head with a small smile.

“I ran into a man the other day when I was leaving my uncle's studio I didn’t transform at all. Besides with all the stress I was under I doubted that I would transform again. Apparently I spent a whole week in otter form after it happened. You really think I’m clingy?” I jokingly asked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit more.

“Fumiko you know that you’re clingy hell you thrive off of it. Do you even remember how many times movie night between you, me, Haru and Lin turned into platonic cuddle night?” I laughed a little bit at the memory of my best friend bringing up movie night from when we were babies pretty much.

“Alright fine I’m clingy, I never saw you complaining about it. I made some new female friends today too. I think I’ll be friends with them for a very long time. So all in all it was a pretty great day. How are you? I know that you’ve been struggling a lot this year.” I asked him and he huffed a little bit curling in on himself.

“I might have to go away again to become stronger. I’ll miss you and Lin but other than that this house isn’t really a home but a respite. I know that you’ve struggled a lot this year too but I’ll be back after a year. I’ll just spend some time with Master up in the mountains and I’ll feel better.” I smiled softly at my best friend knowing that he would have been leaving again.

“I kinda figured that you’d be taking off again. I’ll miss you though and wait for you to come back as I always do. I’m feeling better, like things are going to be looking up again. I know I might sound cliche but I want to be happier. I feel like after all I’ve been through I sorta deserve happiness. I’m just hoping that all of this doesn’t blow up in my face.” Kyo nuzzled my cheek with a small smile on his face much like a cat.

“I’ve said this before but if anybody deserves to actually be happier it’s you. If this chaotic guy is going to be the one that does it then I’ll respect that. Did you get to play violin today?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Yeah I did. I got to play A Town With An Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service. I might do La Vie Boheme once they get used to my musical theater-ness.” I joked and he rolled his orange eyes at me with a small smile on his face.

“I doubt that you’ll get away with playing something from that show. Too many sexual innuendos.” I brushed the hair out of my face since he wasn’t wrong about anything. We had gotten into theater together when we were little through watching movies and Rent was one of our favorites.

“Man you’re no fun Kyon-kitchi…” I pouted and he shoved my gently rolling his eyes since he hated that nickname.

“You really need to stop hanging around Ayame so much Fumiko.” He reprimanded me and I shrugged my shoulders. 

“I should get to hang out with whomever I wish and I love uncle Aya. I know that you don’t and I’m sorry if I pissed you off. But I can’t not hang around him. If I had it my way I’d still be there maybe eventually I’ll go back I don’t really know. I’d like to but I don’t want to get in his way.” I leaned my head on my cousin’s shoulder and he sighed a little bit.

“I was wondering why you came here at all. I mean there is Lin and me but neither of us are going to be here for very long. I’d talk with your dad about going back to Ayame’s while we’re gone at least. You wouldn’t be getting in his way in fact I think that he’d love having you there. Did you see the necklace that he left you? It’s on your dresser. It was there yesterday. I’m surprised that you’re not wearing it.” I cocked my head to the side knowing that I would go looking for the necklace that he was talking about.

“I didn’t see any necklaces but then again yesterday I was kinda out of it. I’ll check again before going to bed tonight. I think he’ll let me go back. Mostly because I’m not that close with Yuki anymore. It’s not my fault plus I’d feel weird being the only girl without Lin or you here to protect me from uncle Shigure.” I joked and he just blew out a puff of air smiling that same cute smile that I had seen growing up.

“I can’t even imagine you staying here without me getting him off your fucking back. God how he even got priority parenting over Lin I will never understand it’s beyond my comprehension at this point.” I laughed at my cousin nodding my head as I saw a familiar car pull up and my uncle get out helping my younger cousin out of the car. 

“Come on we’re probably needed downstairs my brooding cat buddy.” I joked and he hissed at me, his little cat ears going up. I went downstairs to my room and found the box that Kyo had mentioned with a cape as well. It had a little note on the top of the box.

_ Fumi-chan,  _

_ Growing up, watching you was always my favorite pastime. No matter what you wanted to do whether it was playing pretend or watching animated films together having you at my home these last few months has been my pleasure. Anytime you ever need a place to stay I hope that you know you’ll always have your bedroom here at the shop. I hope that you enjoy these gifts that I have made for you and that you’ll be this character for Halloween as a cosplay. _

_ With love,  _

_ Your uncle Ayame.  _ I opened the box and found that it was something that I had wanted when I was a really little girl. It was a beautiful handcrafted necklace that had a long chain. Growing up my favorite movie had been The Secret of Nimh. It's beautiful and the characters had been a huge part of my childhood. Other than the animated Hobbit movies, Miyazaki films and some Disney movies it was what I wanted to watch the most. I felt tears come to my eyes as I flipped it open and saw that famous inscription  _ You can unlock any door if only you have the key.  _ I put it around my neck and felt the heavy weight in my hand. It was so beautiful that when I looked down at the ruby seeing my reflection in the crystal. I picked up the cape and tied it around my shoulders flipping it up over my head.

“Mr. Ages? Mr. Ages?” I smiled softly to myself remembering when uncle Shigure had read me the books as a little girl.

“JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE!! I DON’T WANT YOUR PITY OR YOUR SYMPATHY.” I heard the familiar yell of Lin and the door that slammed on the way into the basement. I flinched a little bit. That must have been Haru she had been yelling at. I peaked out of my bedroom and saw the Ox spirit leaving the house before I could stop him. I went out into the living room and saw my uncle looking grief-stricken.

“Why if it isn’t Miss Brisby don’t you look adorable. Did you find the necklace?” He asked me and I showed him the beautiful treasure that uncle had made for me.

“He really spoils you sweetheart well we both do. You weren’t given a huge chance at life so I think he just wanted to make it the best he could and so did I. Is the cape warm?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face pushing a lock of black hair behind my ear.

“I think that it suits you, I saw that The Hobbit was going to be on tonight. Would you care to watch it with me?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face. Bonding over literature had been one of our favorite things to do when I would stay here as a little girl. 

“I would love to watch it with you!! It’s been a while since I’ve seen it. He even got the back of it etched just like the one in the movie.” I flipped the necklace around so that he could see the back of it and he smiled softly at me.

“I have a feeling it’s going to be very hard to get you to take that necklace off. I wanted to talk to you about something though. It’s about Lin.” I sat down with the cape draped over my shoulders and even I could see the sadness in his eyes.

“She’s going to need to leave sooner than then she thought, like tomorrow morning. She’s taken a massive turn for the worse and Tori wants to start her treatment right away. I know that she said your birthday but that’s not going to happen now.” He told me and I sighed having had a feeling that this was going to happen. 

“I should have known that it was too good to be true once she told me. I know that she needs to get better. I've always known that. If I have to wait until she gets better to have a full birthday party again then that’s fine. Kyo is wanting to leave too. It makes me wonder if it’s me…” My uncle came to sit next to me putting a comforting arm around my shoulders.

“It’s not you Fumi-chan it’s never been you. Lin has known that she’s sick all her life and she just wants to get better to have the most normal life that she can. I want her to go to school with the rest of you and for her to have a good life. Kyo has been struggling for a long time it was only a matter of time before he left again to train in the mountains. I know that you love the people in your life so it isn’t you. I don’t want you to think that it is. What are you thinking?” He asked me knowing that my mind was running a million miles an hour.

“I don’t know if I’ll stay if they both leave. Does that make me a bad person?” I saw my uncle smile softly at me shaking his head.

“No way, my favorite niece is never a bad person. She only ever tries her best to get along with everyone and relate to them. I totally get that you wouldn’t want to stay here without them here. Would you go back to Aya’s? It would be a longer train ride to your school.” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I probably would if my dad would let me which he might. He might also tell me to stick it out here even if I can’t really talk to Yuki. I feel more comfortable there with him since I’ve always been close to him. I know it’s a longer commute but I can handle it. It was still a trek to get to school even today since we’re kinda up in the mountains.” My uncle listened to me talk about what I might do if my two best friends under this roof both left.

“I can’t tell you what to do Fumiko I’ve never really tried to tell you what to do. Only ever tried to do the best that I could. You and Aya have always had a lot in common, I gave you your love of literature but that was about all I did. I had to look after Lin once I became her main guardian and was usually busy with her trying to be the best father I could. Aya loves you like his own daughter he always has. I think it’s partially stemmed from him not being close with Yuki. But it’s also because to him you’re just a special girl. He wants to protect you and to be perfectly honest I think you’d be happier with him if Lin and Kyo aren’t here. I’ll talk to Tori about moving you back to Aya’s.” I smiled softly putting my cape over my head with a sad smile on my face. 

“Hey, where did my favorite little niece go?” I laughed a little bit curling in on myself with a small smile on my face.

“She’s gone into fantasyland please leave a message after the beep.” I joked and took my hood off. Yuki came into the room and he smiled softly at me.

“Did my brother make you those?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face showing him my necklace.

“He did actually make me the cape!! I’ll have to make a visit to him again this weekend and thank him.” Yuki came to sit down next to me at the futon with a small little glimmer of a smile on his face.

“It suits you, Secret of Nimh right? I take it you just told her that Lin is leaving.” I nodded my head with a sad smile knowing that she was probably in the basement right now.

“I’m going to go and make sure that she’s okay and I'll be back.” I stood up with a sad smile going downstairs hearing the exact thing that I was expecting. The soft sound of Lin’s sniffling and muffled sounds of her crying.

“I am here!! To make you feel better and stop crying!!” I cheered, kicking open the door to try and make my best friend laugh even though I wasn’t wearing my All Might hoodie. I probably should have gone upstairs and changed into that. That would have made this entrance more badass.

“F-Fumi-chan…” Her watery voice cracked and I instantly felt my heart breaking at the sound of it. I walked towards her and put my arms around her to encourage her that she could lean on me.

“It’s okay, I understand. Shigure already told me, you don’t have to. I’ll miss you so much but this is necessary to getting you better. You have to go and I’ll miss you more than anything but I also know that you are completely capable of walking and getting better. You deserve a better life than what was given to you. I understand that you’ll miss my birthday but hey once you’re better than it’ll all be worth it. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I doubt that this year is going to be some big party anyways. I’ve got a funny story that’s going to cheer you right up if you want to hear it.” She looked at me surprised that I was talking again and I took my cape off draping it over her shoulders to try and make her warmer and feel more confident.

“I met a boy today, he’s the one that got me talking again. It was funny all he had to do was introduce himself to me. He’s a lot like uncle Aya. You’d really like him he’s funny, sweet, kind and he’s just an all around great guy.” I smiled softly at my best friend pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m happy for you Fumi-chan if anybody deserves love it’s you. I’m sure that you’ve heard that today already. Can you just leave me alone please? I leave tomorrow while you’re at school.” She told me and I just knew that she didn’t want the company. I squeezed her hand but left her alone as she told me to do. I heard the sounds of the television as my uncle flipped through the channels.

“How is she? I’m trying to find the channel that the movie is playing on.” I sat down next to him pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“She’s not doing that great I think she sent Haru away too so that should be a testament to how she’s doing.” He sighed a little bit running a hand over his face. I knew that out of all of us this had to be hardest on him. This was his daughter and I think sometimes a good chunk of us forgot that.

“I’ll go and try talking to her. You keep flipping the channel and call me when you find it kay?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I flipped through the channels before eventually finding the one that he had been talking about.

“Uncle Shi!!” I called and he came up the stairs with Lin wheeling up behind him and tears in her eyes. 

“Do you think Haru will forgive me? I was really mean to him.” I laughed a little bit more loudly than I had been expecting to.

“Of course he’ll forgive you, this is Haru that we’re talking about. He can't stay mad at you for more than an hour. Watch he’ll go down the hill and come back unless he gets lost.” I joked and right at that moment I heard the sliding door open and saw the familiar head of black and white peak itself into the room.

“I’m sorry that I pushed you…” He apologized and I instantly smiled a little bit at just how cute these two really were. I turned my attention to the animated film that had always made me feel like I wanted to go on an adventure. I looked over at Haru and saw that he had helped Lin out of her chair and she was snuggled up against his side fast asleep. He was asleep on her shoulder and I couldn’t help but smile at the two of them.

“They’re adorable aren’t they?” My uncle asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile as he handed me the takeout that he had ordered for me.

“Absolutely the two cutest things that I’ve ever seen. Did you ever worry about them when she was younger?” I asked him and he laughed a little bit at me turning down the movie but keeping the captions on even though both of us knew every word of dialogue in it.

“I mean sometimes I did but eventually I realized that I couldn’t stop them. I mean they’re so cute and they’re still just kids. Twenty thousand yen says when she eventually wakes up she’s going to be so flustered.” I shook his hand on the deal and I laughed a little bit at our typical antics.

“You’ve got yourself a deal. I met a boy today too…” I trailed off and he looked at me kind of surprised.

“You did? Well this is news to me. I’m happy for you Fumi-chan I think that you’ll be happy no matter what. You were always a happy little girl when you were younger if a little bit more broken now.” I smiled softly at him taking my lemon soda and popping it open as the familiar taste came over me.

“I think I’m going to start feeling better soon. I mean I’m talking now so that’s a step in the right direction. I also got to play violin today!!” He put his arm around my shoulders and I smiled softly at him. It wasn’t that I wasn’t close with my uncle Shigure, it's just that I rarely saw him and Yuki after they moved off the grounds with Lin unless it was my birthday or Christmas.

“I’m so glad when you weren’t talking yesterday I was worried about you. I know that we aren’t close, at least not like we used to be when I was at the Sohma house.” I smiled softly at my uncle pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“It’s fine, I know why you left even if it hurt at first. I’m sorry too it’s not like I ever came to visit you out here for more than a few weeks of summer vacation. I’ve always been the first one to leap at the opportunity to go and visit uncle Aya anyways so it’s not even your fault.” I tightened the cape around my shoulders that Lin had given me back.

“I never left because of you, I just need you to know that much. There were complications between me and Akito mostly of the fact that he didn’t want me raising Lin. He thought that she'd be better off in an orphanage and he also didn’t encourage my reading to you. So I moved out, got this place and started writing. I gave Lin a home and to me that was more worthwhile than seeing her suffering alone.” I smiled softly at my uncle as he gave me his reasoning that resulted in his twelve year old adopted daughter.

“My dad wanted to adopt her but Momiji and I were already two kids too many or at least that’s what he always joked.” My uncle laughed at me talking about my dad and his relationship with my brother and I.

“You two were always running around doing your own things together. I know that your dad cares about both of you very much but it’s just hard for him to keep track of both of you and do his work. Which is why one of you usually went with Aya and one stayed with him and he liked to switch off.” I laughed at my uncle finishing my takeout with a small smile on my face. I fixed my hair into a high ponytail just to get it out of my face. I spent the rest of the evening under my uncle’s arm and watching my old favorite movie from when I was a little girl. The beauty of these movies never went over my heads and I was always blown away. Once they were over I saw Lin stir and I saw her bright pink blush and reached into my wallet handing my uncle the bills that I had bet against.

“Did you two seriously bet against us again?” I rolled my eyes at my younger cousin with a small smile on my face.

“Well how do you expect us to possibly enjoy ourselves otherwise?” I joked and my uncle just laughed at the two of us interacting.

“I think it might be getting a little bit late for young girls that need to go to school tomorrow.” I looked at the clock and sighed kissing my uncle’s cheek.

“I’ll miss you Lin, just make sure that you text me and let me know how you’re doing. Video chat me if you have any troubles with homework.” I reminded her and she nodded her head at me with a small smile on her face

“I will get better while I’m away. I’ll try to do it as fast as possible so that I can get back home as fast as possible. Let me know how things will go with your desk neighbor.” She joked and I laughed a little bit pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I will!! You take your time recovery like that shouldn’t be rushed and I’ll wait for you to come back. Like I said I might just go to uncle Aya’s if I can.” I shrugged my shoulders and she smiled softly at me, giving me a fist to pound. I went up the stairs to my room as she struggled to wake up Haru. I changed into my new pajamas and sighed at the comfortable fabric getting under the blankets and promptly fell asleep. When my alarm woke me the next morning I hit it and slid my phone open. I got out of bed after checking my social media. I looked at my hair and remembered my talk with Kakeru yesterday.  _ Well it wouldn’t hurt anybody if I left it down today it might actually be nice.  _ I grabbed my Minnie themed hairbrush and brushed out all the knots and tangles. I got my uniform on and put my necklace on underneath my blouse for encouragement. I put my shoes by the door and opened the fridge letting out a harsh sound.

“Yikes alright, maybe not brave enough to see what’s in there today. I’ll stop by the store today and get these people an actual home cooked meal.” I grabbed a piece of fruit, an apple mostly because that was the safest option and I dusted it off eating it on my walk to school. I saw Tohru, Hana-chan and Uo-chan walking up the pathway to school.

“Good morning ladies!!” I greeted them with a happy smile on my face and Hana-chan smiled softly at me.

“Waves are in a much more content mood than yesterday. Though there is a touch of sadness to them, something is wrong.” I felt the sweat drip off my face and I smiled sadly walking forward with a sad smile on my face.

“It’s Lin she’s leaving today and I won’t see her for a long time. My dad came up with the idea that sending her away to the mountains would help her feel better. He wants her to be able to walk one day and so do I. I trust that he’s making the right decision but the house is going to be a lot quieter. I’ll ask my dad if he can take me back to my uncle Aya’s house.” I explained to them and Tohru just smiled softly at me. 

“I think that you should do whatever makes you happy Fumi-chan!! I think that moving your things would be a lot more stress on you. After you just got your voice back I’d give it some time before you just up and left again. Just because things are changing doesn’t mean that you can’t adjust.” She advised me and my heart warmed when Uo-chan put her arm around my shoulders with a small smirk on her face.

“If I were you I’d give those life changes the ol’ one two and then they’d be down for the count. But I would also do whatever makes you happiest Fumiko. There’s a lot that’s happened to you in the last year and I wouldn’t want to move your shit either. Wait it out and see how things go before you just decide that you want to move.” She punched the air with the hand that wasn’t comfortingly around my shoulders as I threw my apple core away.

“Is that all that you ate for breakfast? Can’t be healthy let me see what I have for you…” Hana-chan went through her bag and came out with a bag filled to brim with lucky charms cereal.

“It’s sugar but it will give you the energy that you need to accomplish your day.” I smiled softly at my friend for caring about me.

“Thanks Hana-chan!! I need to go to the store where my house currently is being drowned by dirty dishes. We’ve been eating takeout everyday since I got there so I want to fix that problem. I want to make something for them to thank Uncle Shigure for letting me into the house.” I opened the bag and took a handful eating the cereal and marshmallows.

“I’ll go shopping with you after school before we head home to meet my mom!! She has the day off today since she’s been working a lot of hours and they demanded that she take a break.” I gripped my violin case with a small smile on my face.

“That sounds good!! We need to get snacks anyways for the sleepover this weekend. Did you tell her about that Tohru?” Uo-chan asked her best friend and the girl animatedly shook her head at me. Hana-chan went in first and everyone looked at her strangely whispering. It came to me that they were talking shit about her and I looked at them glaring.

“I didn’t!! Hana-chan said that she talked to her parents and they want you to join the sleepover that we were having this weekend!! My mom also really wants to meet you Fumi-chan.” My friend encouraged me and I smiled brightly. It would be my first time ever going to a sleepover that wasn’t Haru or Kyo.

“I’ve never been to a sleepover before actually…” Hana-chan cocked her head to the side worriedly and I took another handful of cereal.

“You must have been really sheltered where you were.” I smiled softly at her shrugging my shoulders.

“I mean yeah all of the family was in one spot and it was not a fun time to be honest with you. I mean it was nice to be able to walk down the block and go to the dojo. But other than that I didn’t really enjoy it.” I walked up the stairs to the third floor and smiled at my three friends waving to them as I went into the first room. I had beat Kakeru there and it looked like I sat down in my chair putting my violin in my desk.

“Good morning beautiful!! My morning got better, your hair is down today.” I heard the peppy cheer of my desk neighbor and I blushed a bright pink.

“Well you told me to and I like my hair long. It’s just a little bit of a pain since I always have to brush out the knots in the morning.” He smiled that heart stopping smile at me and sat down in his chair facing me.

“I’m happy that you did it!! I didn’t think that you would since it was just a weirdo making a suggestion.” I laughed at my friend handing my bag of cereal out to him and he took a handful of the sugary cereal.

“I don’t think that you’re a weirdo Kakeru even if you are a bit strange. I like that about you.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Did you have a nice night last night?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“Yes I did. I went to go and see my uncle yesterday at his shop and I’m going again on Sunday if I’m not too tired. Hana-chan invited me over for a sleepover so I might be too tired. At least if I think it’s going to be an all weekend thing. Most of my sleepovers when I was at the Sohma estate were like that. I also watched The Hobbit animated film with my uncle last night.” I told him about the afternoon that I had with my family bonding and having fun with them.

“I think by Sunday you’ll be fine to visit your uncle. I’d like to go with you. Actually, I’d love to meet him.” I blanched a little bit thinking about how embarrassing he would be. This man had known me my entire life and had embarrassing stories out the front door.

“Are you sure about that? He’s really super embarrassing I don’t know if you’ll want to be with me if you meet him so soon.” He laughed a little bit at me kicking my foot with his and I looked up to see the smile there.

“If you aren’t ready then I’ll wait and I can meet him later. I don’t think that he could embarrass you milady, I mean really how bad can he be?” I let out a meek sound of disapproval with a small huff.

“No, might as well get it over with. I’m mostly afraid of what you’ll think of my family if he’s the first one you meet. He’s not my biological uncle, did I tell you about that?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“My uncles are my dad’s best friends since he was a young boy. They are almost the complete opposite of each other and when you get all three of them together my dad is usually dead exhausted by the end of it. He claims that he’s stuck with them but in reality I know that he’s happiest around them. They are like biological family to me, especially my uncle Aya.” I smiled softly talking about my uncles and how much they meant to him.

“That’s actually really cool!! I mean your family is really close and I’m glad that you had them by your side. I don’t think it’s something that you should rip off like a bandaid. It’s your family and obviously they’re important to you with how often you talk about them. Did you put your violin in there? You should really just keep it in the music room.” I rubbed the back of my neck a little bit.

“Well see the thing is I only have this one. It’s my uncle’s and he taught me how to play with it. He’s really musically talented he could have gone into the symphony but he opened his costume shop instead. I really should get another one for home but for right now I’ll just carry it around.” I took it out seeing the etched little note that he had put in there. _ Play this with all your heart and soul like I know you can, with love, uncle Aya. _

“I can understand that, it’s an important instrument to you. I’m sorry that I asked.” I smiled softly at my desk neighbor.

“It’s alright Kakeru you didn’t know that. It’s not something that he talks about a whole lot but he’s really good at it. Probably better than me still even though he claims that I’m more of the musician.” I joked showing him the note that was in there and he looked at the precious piece of woodwork.

“My guitar has really nothing special to it. It’s just an instrument that I play; it hasn’t been passed down from anybody.” I smiled softly at my friend squeezing his hand encouragingly as I looked down at my violin case.

“And that’s alright that it’s just an ordinary guitar. You’re really good at playing it and that’s what’s really important to you. What was your favorite song when you were younger?” I asked him and he smiled a little bit at me.

“I really loved Winnie The Pooh like every other kid did at the time. I especially loved the Disney movies even though the books are classics. I loved the way that they were characterized in the shows and movies. So my childhood was filled with The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers and Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins.” He told me and I couldn’t help but smile at him. I had always wanted to get all of the Hundred Acre Wood critters in plushy form. It was something that I had wanted to do since I was a little girl but I would have to get rid of the animal stuffed animals that I already had in order to do that. I had thought about it sometimes getting rid of them and starting anew with something that didn’t remind of what I used to be.

“Mine was pretty much the entire soundtrack of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the two first songs in The Hobbit animated version and Your Heart Will Lead You Home that’s the ending song to the Tigger Movie. Be Our Guest is like right after that. I really loved animated films when I was younger but I’ve always been drawn to musical theater. I loved that property too!! I’ve always wanted to get all the stuffed animals from Christopher Robin's room maybe one of these days I will. I have to get rid of the ones I already have. I already kinda want to get rid of them mostly because they come with bad memories.” I showed him pictures of my plushies and he nodded his head with an understanding smile.

“They remind you of what it was like living on the compound? I think that it’s fair that you give yourself a fresh start. I totally get that. A few years ago I went through everything that my dad had ever gotten for me and got rid of it. Just did a full detox and I think that you should do the same. You’ll feel sad whenever you look at those things and I didn’t like that. Besides that just means that you can start fresh!! Just tell your dad that you want to start with new stuffed animals. I’m sure that he’ll understand.” It amazed me how similar Kakeru and I really were when you got down to it. Except I had a great relationship with my dad. It made me feel a little bit bad for him that he didn’t get the love and affection that he desired when he was younger. I got out my phone to text my dad.

_ Me: Morning dad!! Lin told me about what’s going on, I’m just wishing you a safe trip. I’m going to get rid of my stuffed animals when I get back to uncle Shigure’s I think. They remind me of the Sohma House and I really don’t want to be reminded of that. I’ll stop by the mall after I drop them off at the goodwill shelter and find some better ones for me. Mostly they’re just a reminder I might keep the snake, the dog and the seahorse but other than that I want a clean slate.  _ Mrs. Tupling came into the classroom to call it to order and I took notes while she instructed the class about the book assignment from yesterday. 

“I would like to know all of your ideas that you want to share with the class today. You have the option of working with your desk partners and if you do you only have to do one project. If not you have to do double the amount of work. So I would recommend learning to work with your desk buddies.” She instructed us and I smiled brightly picking up the book that I had read a big chunk of before eventually falling asleep last night. 

“I read a big chunk of your book last night!! It was really funny so I can’t wait to finish it. I think that we could base it off the first chapter so that everyone can understand. Do you have any idea what you want it to be since this is your book?” I asked him and he nodded his head getting out a notebook.

“I wanted to make it into a song summarizing the plot of the series and the first chapter all in one. It doesn’t have to be amazing but I’d like to do it with you.” He told me and I nodded my head with a small smile getting out my notebook and I instantly started to think about how I would summarize the plot of the book.

_ The gods are real, like the Greek Gods, like the ones you learned about but weren’t paying attention to. Well they don’t pay attention to you either especially if you’re their kid. The gods have godly things to do, godly places they need to see, godly plans they need to make that don’t include me. Yeah the gods are real and they have kids and those kids have issues… Issues!! Daddy doesn’t love me and mommy is a God, mommy can’t protect me and daddy is a God. Mommy is too busy, and daddy is too busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy being a God yeah. You never listen to me, you never listen, you never listen to me, you never listen, it’s time you heard our side of the story…  _ Kakeru tapped my shoulder and I looked over at him seeing that he had the exact same idea that I did written down.

“Oh we are so going to ace this project!!” I laughed at my friend hearing Mrs. Tupling call the class to order.

“Let’s start with Manabe and Sohma. It looks like they are doing a duo project.” I followed my desk neighbor to the front of the classroom.

“We’re doing Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief!! Fumi-chan is almost done with the book and we’re going to make a summary of the plot and the first chapter into a seven minute song. Is that allowed or does there have to be a time limit?” He asked her and our teacher just nodded her head with a small smile on her face.

“There isn’t a time limit to speak of, just keep the entire presentation under ten minutes. I’m really excited to see what you two come up with. I know that whatever you do write it’ll be amazing!! You will have to perform whatever you write together. Make sure that you do it with teamwork.” I smiled softly at my teacher pushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“We figured that would be the case but don’t worry we’ve already started and we wrote down the same thing without looking at the other’s paper.” I showed her the similar papers and she smiled brightly at the two of us.

“You two will be a great duo, next group presentation idea let’s go!!” She cheered and I took my seat next to the door again. Kakeru smirked brightly at me and I looked down seeing that he had given me a tootsie roll.

“For later you mentioned that you had a sweet tooth.” He told me and my heart started to pitter a little bit faster. I put the candy into my backpack finishing the bag filled with cereal and I felt instantly better. The bell rang for music and I grabbed my violin with a bright smile on my face. Kakeru opened the door linking his arm through mine.

“Can you come over with me after ice cream tomorrow and we can get started on our project?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“I’d love to!! You can come over to mine and work there too. My uncle has a deadline coming up so most likely you won’t even see him than the Gods. He’s even more embarrassing than Aya is most of the time.” I joked seeing the rest of my girl squad coming and I waved to them with a bright smile on my face.

“Did you have a nice first period?” Tohru asked me and I nodded my head my eyes lighting up with little stars.

“It was great!! We’re working on writing a song together about Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief. I’m almost done with the book and we’re basing it off the first big chapter. What should we call it?” I asked Kakeru and he hummed for a second before he snapped his fingers together with a bright smile on his face.

“The day I got expelled?” The smile I had on my face brightened if that was even possible and Uo-chan jokingly covered her eyes.

“Hana they’re blinding me with their happiness help me…” She begged the gothic member of my friend group.

“You should be happy for them Arisa. It looks like she’s going to be very happy with him indeed.” She said and for the first time I saw a genuine bright smile on the usually stoic girl’s face.

“I wonder what Miss Sakamato has planned for us today…” Tohru trialed off and I couldn’t wait to get back into the music room.

“I have no idea but I came prepared. I should really get another cheaper one for school. I'll look for one at the mall today…” I thought aloud to myself and Hana-chan smiled softly at me as I walked down the halls with a pep in my step.

“What do you need from the mall?” She asked me and I turned towards the gothic girl pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’d like to get new stuffed animals and get rid of most of my old ones. They remind me of the past in the compound and I don’t like that. It makes me feel really uneasy I might keep three of them, the one from my dad and my uncle’s and put them on display but other than that I’m getting rid of everything else.” I felt my phone buzz and I checked it smiling softly at the fact that my dad had gotten back to me.

_ Dad: I was going to recommend that you get rid of those stuffed animals for your own mental health anyways. It would remind you of your old self and I know that you don’t do well with that kind of thing. Let me know if you want any money donated into your account or do you still have some from working for Ayame?  _ I smiled softly checking my bank accounts and seeing that I hadn’t spent any of it.

_ Me: I haven’t spent any of the money that I made but I’ll let you know how it all goes down. Thanks dad I love you!!  _ Kakeru was my eyes and held the door open to the music room for me and I found my place amongst the strings.

“Good morning students!! I have a very exciting proposition for you all. Most of you have improved greatly and I wanted a way for your parents to see how talented you are. We are putting on a showcase!! I have figured out that I have about twenty of you this class period that have enough talent to make it into the showcase but we will still be having a competition come tomorrow. I want for you to think back and pick nine and two that go into one another. Also you will have to pick a partner for a duet.” I mentally cheered knowing that this would be insanely easy for me. I got out my notebook again and flipped to a clean page about twenty away from the song lyrics. I decided to do childhood since those songs had stuck with me a lot better than the ones now that I was older. 

_ Childhood: _

_ Uncle Shigure: The Greatest Adventure\In The Valley Ha! The animated Hobbit movie, A Man Has Dreams Mary Poppins  _

_ Dad: I’m Going To Go Back There Someday The Muppets, Wakko’s Capitals, A Town With An Ocean View Kiki’s Delivery Service, Your Heart Will Lead You Home The Tigger Movie  _

_ Uncle Ayame: Pinky And The Brain opening\Meticulous Analysis Of History, Flying Dreams Secret Of Nimh, Roses Of Success Chitty Chitty Bang Bang _

“I think knowing how talented me, Tohru and Hana are at this we’re going to wind up helping backstage. This is sure to be right up your alley though!! Can I see what ideas you have?” I nodded my head showing them to the tough girl that had come over to talk to me.

“Hey these are great!!” I smiled brightly at the yankee in front of me with her long skirt and her thinned out eyebrows. I had never really expected to find a best friend that would be like this with me. 

“Thank you for indulging me, it took me a while to figure out what I would do for my dad. His music taste is basically my own, well it’s like some kinda combination of all of that mixed together. Part of me is really excited to do Wakko’s Capitals. I think that alone explains a lot about how childish I really am.” I joked and she laughed at me as I took out my violin and hummed the old animated song. 

“Can you play that and sing at the same time?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“You bet I can!! It took me a long time to get that down but I’ve always been a really good singer according to the people in my life anyways. So I will definitely be singing the ones that I can. I think the only acoustic might be Roses Of Success because that’s the only song with multiple people. I think both of my Chitty Chitty songs will have to be acoustic or have the movie in the background. I should probably ask if that’s even possible.” I thought to myself already planning out how mine were going to go. 

“Well shoot your already beating most of us regular people. Does that one have a specific meaning for you?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face thinking about my uncle sitting me on his knee as I watched him work.

“It’s the song that my uncle jokes was his theme song when he was first opening his costume shop. He made a lot of mistakes in his life so he wanted to do this one thing in his mind that was unselfish. He wanted to bring something into this world and not just take from it. I’ve been playing violin since I was five that’s probably why I can do all of those things. It’s not that I’m better, it's just that I’ve always known what I wanted in the regard of music anyways.” I picked up my bow looking at the worn wood with a small smile.

“If you’re asking me your uncle sounds entirely unselfish even though you told me very little about him. You should be lucky, a lot of us don’t have good family’s. Mine is broken too so I get where you’re coming from in terms of that. Mom left when I was a kid to go off with a younger guy and then my dad fell down the alcoholic rabbit hole. I’ve gotten better with him though thankfully.” I smiled sadly at my friend taking her hands in mine. I felt so bad that she had to go through all of that.

“I never knew my mom. She gave me up to my dad when I was a baby. She didn’t want the pressure of having to be a parent when she wasn’t the most mature person already. I love the family that I have even though it’s only made up of about six people. It’s better than most so even though I don’t have a mother figure I’ve been content with that.” I shrugged my shoulders and Uo-chan looked at me a little bit surprised.

“You don’t have any memories of her at all?” I shook my head with a small sad smile on my face pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“That would be a nope, I mean my dad talks about her sometimes but I don’t really ask. My uncle Aya talks about her a lot more bitterly but at least it’s something. Apparently they were just in college. He was one of the few that was allowed to go to college mostly because he wanted to become the family doctor and he had to get an education. There he met my mom and it as a whirlwind of seven months of romance. They wanted to get married but the family head denied them that privilege. It broke her so she had me and then left.” I curled my arms inside of me and Kakeru came to sit next to me and put a supportive arm around my shoulders.

“It’s okay Uotani you didn’t know it’s alright milady…” He comforted me and I didn’t even know that my arms were shaking.

“I seriously had no idea I thought that you had a complete family Fumiko. I'm really sorry about that. I sometimes have zero tact. I hope that you’re not pissed off too badly at me.” I shook my head taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Having a sensory overload at school never leads to good things. It led to a couple of Tylenols and a nap after school which was not what I needed today. 

“I’m not angry with you at all actually Uo-chan!! You had no idea what was going on in my mess of a family. I have the tendency to say what’s on my mind even if people won’t like it. I hate lying to people so I only do it when I have to.” I bargained and she just cracked that same small smirk at me that I had already come to love. 

“I’d love to hear one of the songs that you have planned out, Fumi-chan.” Our teacher told us and I stood up with a small smile on my face.

“I’ll be doing one of my childhood songs technically it’s two but I decided to make it a melody. As a little girl I loved literature. I blame my uncle Shigure for that problem. He was the first one to read to me and actually teach me that the world of words can be beautiful. The first book I well and truly remember was The Hobbit when I was five. He read me the books and then we watched the animated films together. Ever since then they’ve been one of my favorite movies. I could watch them forever and I just rewatched The Hobbit one with him last night.” I took my violin and started to play the instrument that I had grown up playing.

_ “The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. Today and tomorrow are yet to be said. The chances, the changes are all yours to make. The mold of your life is in your hands to break. The greatest adventure is there if you’re bold. Let go of the moment that life makes you hold. To measure the meaning can make you delay; it’s time you stop thinkin’ and wasting the day. The man who’s a dreamer and never takes leave who thinks of a world that is just make-believe will never know passion will never know pain. Who sits by his window will one day see rain. The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. Today and tomorrow are yet to be said. The chances, the changes are all yours to make. The mold of your life is in your hands to break. The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.”  _ The familiar melody and lyrics came over me easily as it slipped into the happier more upbeat tone that was one of my favorites to play because it was just so distinctly middle earth.

_ “Oh, what are you doing, and where are you going? Your ponies need shoeing, the river is flowing!! Oh tra-la-la-lally here down in the valley ha ha!! Oh, where are you going with beards all a-wagging? No knowing, no knowing what brings Mr. Baggins, and Balin and Dwalin in June? In the valley ha ha!! Oh, will you be staying, or will you be flying? Your ponies are straying, the daylight is dying!! To fly would be folly, to stay would be jolly. Tra-lil-lil-lil-lolly ha ha!! Oh, what are you doing, and where are you going? Your ponies need shoeing, the river is flowing!! Oh tra-la-la-lally here down in the valley ha ha!!”  _ Playing for an audience that wasn’t just my uncle or my cousins encouraging me was definitely something that I wasn’t used to. But seeing Kakeru’s proud smile as I played my violin and sang at the same time I felt like I could conquer the world. 

“That’s a rare quality to be able to sing well enough and play violin at the same time. Your uncle sounds like he taught you a lot, it’s been a long time since I’ve even heard of the animated films because so many prefer the live action ones.” I smiled a little bit bowing before my teacher with a small smile on my face. 

“I enjoy the live action films too but the animated ones are my personal favorites because especially that one was more accurate to the incredible books.” I took my spot back next to the strings section.

“My half brother seems to be very interested in you.” I heard a quiet voice next to me and I turned to see a young girl, probably a year younger than me. It must have been Machi and I smiled softly at her.

“You must be Machi, it's very nice to officially meet you.” I greeted her with a bright smile on my face.

“He told you about me?” I nodded my head with a small smile watching the chaotic nut and laughing as he told an animated story to his friends.

“He did!! I have aspergers, he told me that you have autism?” I asked her and she nodded her head at me.

“Well not officially but I think that I would have it if they were to let me get diagnosed.” I smiled sadly at her pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Having good parental support is a rarity and I’m sorry that they don’t want you to be officially diagnosed. You play cello?” She nodded her head with a little quirk up of a smile.

“I’ve been playing it since I was seven so a while now. It’s one of the few things I’m good at.” I smiled softly at my new friend and I held my violin.

“I know that feeling I’m not confident about a whole lot but I know that I’m good at this little guy.” I joked and I got a quiet little laugh and I mentally cheered a little bit. She went back to only paying attention to her notebook. I still took that conversation as an A+ win for me for once since she seemed to be the type that didn’t really interact with her peers. The bell rang and I put my violin in its case carrying it to the front of the room.

“Can I leave this here?” I asked Miss Sakamato and she nodded her head with a bright smile on her face.

“Of course!! Most of the students leave their instruments here and they have rentals at home so that they can practice there more often. Would you like one?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face writing my name on the piece of paper and taking the violin from her. I thought for a second gripping the old violin.

“Actually can I just use the rental here and take this home with me? I’m sorry it’s really special to me it was my uncle’s…” I protested and she just nodded her head at me with a small smile on her face.

“I can’t wait until you perform at the showcase. You'll have to invite both of your uncles to come and see the show. I’m sure that they are both very proud of your skills.” I nodded my head and smiled softly thinking about how proud uncle Aya always was of me when I first successfully played a song for him. 

“I most certainly will!! Are we going to have a screen showing the products if they are based off something?” I asked and she nodded her head with a small smile on her face showing me what her idea was.

“We are actually so you don’t need to worry about not having context for your pieces. If it’s from a movie there will be lyrics as well if you aren’t singing them yourself. Did you have any group pieces where more than one person is singing?” I nodded my head showing her my notes that I had made.

“My musical uncle jokes that Roses Of Success from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is what encouraged him to keep trying to open up his shop. He’s one of the most talented people that I know. He wasn’t able to do symphony even though he could have with his talent. Our family has a lot of strict rules and regulations. He pretty much separated himself from the family which I’m happy for.” I explained to her and she just nodded her head kindly at me as I looked up seeing that Kakeru was still standing there. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Fumi-chan, you should really be getting to your next class.” She instructed me and I met Kakeru by the door.

“You didn’t have to wait for me…” I protested and my friend just laughed a little bit at me. I found myself to be obsessed with that little laugh. It was so different for me and I knew that I could listen to that sound for the rest of my life in all it’s forms.

“Well yeah of course I didn’t but the fact is I did because I wanted to. I like walking with you to class because then I get to make sure to sit next to you. I know that we’re partners and all but I still love having your company.” I felt my cheeks turn a light pink color and my heart start to beat a little bit faster.  _ Please whatever deity out there even though I’m atheist if you just make him want me for more than this friendship I’ll do anything you wish of me.  _ I begged half heartedly in the back of my mind.

“I love having yours too…” I said shyly and the smile that I got was enough to light up an entire solar system that had long since had any at all.

“Well it’s good that I’m not annoying like I thought I was being!! Do you think that you’re going to sing for the showcase?” I shrugged my shoulders nervously looking down at my feet with a grimace. 

“I don’t think so, I would probably choke if I sang in front of that many parents. I was mostly just goofing around. I’ll be lucky if I can get out there and remember how to play my instrument at all.” I tried to joke but Kakeru saw right through me and put his arm supportively around my shoulders.

“I think that you should give it a shot Fumi-chan. You sing so beautifully and I want everyone to know that you can. I’m sorry if I come off as too pushy but I’m just trying to make you happy.” He apologized and I shook my head with a small smile on my face. I thumbed the end of my very Totoro nervous habit since he was soft and plush.

“You don’t come off as pushy, it's just I get really bad sensory overloads when I have to perform in a crowd of over fifteen people. Especially if I don’t know anybody in the audience so I might not even do it. It’s one of the reasons why I can’t do symphony because somebody that I know would always have to be visible in the audience.” I thumbed the end of my skirt and swallowed down a deeper breath of air.

“But you play so good!! You shouldn’t just hide it away from the rest of the world.” I felt tears come to my eyes and I quickly wiped them away on the back of my sleeve.

“You just don’t get it. You’re an extrovert and neurotypical probably at that. It’s different for people like me we can’t perform because what if I mess up and uncle Aya is there? He’ll be so disappointed in me. It’ll be like he wasted a big chunk of his life teaching me how to play. I’ll let him down if that happens.” And then he wouldn’t want to spend time with me anymore. No more weekends helping him at the shop and no more hot chocolate meetings about how school is going.

“I have dyslexia and ADHD so for one thing I’m not neurotypical and for another thing can’t you see that would never, ever happen? If you spend the rest of your life worried about if people are going to be disappointed in you then you’re not going toI have a very fun life. Your uncle loves you and he’ll be proud of you either way even if you mess up. Isn’t that what Roses of Success is all about?” I felt tears come to my eyes at the fact that he was absolutely right. I had the bad habit of letting anxiety run my life and my decisions. It was just so hard to put myself out there for the entire world to see me. 

“You’re right sorry about that Kakeru… I can’t say that’ll be the last time you have to smack some sense into me. I can be stubborn and really anxious a lot of the time.” I admitted to him and when I saw him walk in front of me and smile a little bit at me.

“I guess that just means that I’ll have to make you laugh whenever you get down like this. You have a really cute laugh!!” He praised and I blushed a bright pink trying to avert my gaze so as to not be found out so early on.

“Are you blushing Fumi-chan?” He asked me teasingly which only caused the blush on my face to turn a brighter read.

“Manabe leaves her alone. She’s going to become a fire hydrant if you keep that up.” I heard the stoic voice of his sister warn him.

“Thank you for the back up Kuragi, come on goof we’re going to be late for science class.” I reminded him and he instantly took my hand in a running sprint for the science classes. He threw the door open just as the bell was ringing.

“Made it alive…” I panted for breath for a second before I started to laugh at the fact that I had just run down the hallway for the first time in life. Usually I had tried to be early for everything because I had this perpetual fear that I would get sent to the principal's office if I was ever late.

“Nice hustle there Manabe next time try to get here just a smidge earlier so you can be in your seat by the time the bell rings. We are going to continue to get to know our lab partners today since I know a lot of you didn’t hand in your slips of paper yesterday. Try to get them done by the end of the day and turn them in to me by the end of class so we can start the fun stuff tomorrow.” He warned us and I got out my notebook where we had been writing down questions yesterday. 

“What is your perfect day?” He asked me and I looked at him a little bit confused but I thought about it for a second.

“It’s sort of silly. I’ve always wanted to go to Tokyo Disneyland but I’ve never been able to go. Akito rarely let us leave the grounds unless it was for school or our birthdays and you always needed his permission. I also think that having an official lazy day would be nice…” I trailed off and my friend just listened to me.

“I’d love to take you to Disneyland and see your little eyes light up at everything. I’ll bet that you would be absolutely stunning. I am the king of lazy days and I’d love to show you how it’s done.” He playfully winked at me and I blushed a flaming hot pink shrinking a little bit in my seat.

“To me my ‘best day ever’ is a little bit silly. It's my tenth birthday. It was themed to One Piece-” He interrupted me with a loud gasp and I could instantly see that there was something brewing in his brain.

“I love One Piece!! Let me guess for a second, your favorite is Oosop right?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face filtering through my phone and finding the costume that my uncle had made for me.

“It was right after the time skip or once I got there and my uncle made this for me. It still fits me to this day since I haven’t really grown vertically since then. I also love the goggles that I get to put over my forehead. I still wear it on fun days around the house or to sleepovers. It used to be my favorite thing that he ever made for me. It’s definitely up there but the best day ever for me right there. Everyone that I loved was there including Yuki and Kyo who rarely show up usually Yuki doesn’t even bother coming at all. Him and uncle Aya can’t get along. It’s not without him trying to mend the broken bond between them.” I showed him the pictures that we had taken that day and the beach house that we had decorated. 

“Do you always go to the beach for your birthday?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face flipping through my phone showing him the makeshift Going Merry that was an inner tube that I still had and was much loved by me.

“Yeah at least I used to at the Sohma family own beach house. It's wonderful there!! Usually I’ll stay there for a week with my brother and my dad. Uncle Ayame also stays with us if he can. He usually has to run though if he gets a job offer. Haru always stays!! And Kyo if he comes so it’s always a great time. I don’t think I’ll be able to go anymore because I’ve been exiled out of the family.” I could see my friend instantly start scheming and I wanted to ask what he was thinking about but I didn’t want to disturb whatever it was.

“Aww you’re so cute!! Can you not swim?” I shook my head with a small laugh showing him my surfing.

“Nope I can swim fine it’s just I prefer the more relaxed atmosphere that floating on the waves gives me. I learned how to surf when I was nine during my birthday. What about you, sorry I’m talking a lot. What is your best day?” I asked him and he continued to look at the pictures on my phone stopping when he saw a selfie with me and Momiji with huge scoops of ice cream.

“Is that your little brother? Oh I see cuteness runs in the family!!” I laughed a little bit seeing that my brother had been wearing one of his skirts in that picture.

“That is indeed Momiji but you’re changing the subject.” I poked at his cheek with my pencil gently and I saw him sigh a little bit.

“To be honest I don’t have the best day ever really. I spent so much time struggling to be perfect for my parents sake that I haven’t really been living much at all.” My heart broke heavily for my friend and I made it my life goal to make sure that he had a million best days.

“I’m sorry that it couldn’t have been easy for you. And my brother is adopted. I told you that so it kinda doesn’t run in the biological family. If he wasn’t my brother he’d be another one of my cousins. That was my birthday but we had gone to the pier that’s a couple of streets down from the beach to get ice cream last year. It was what I wanted instead of cake since it was a really small group that summer.” I shrugged a little bit with a small smile. I loved looking at this picture because it was one of the few times when Haru actually smiled for the camera. 

“That kid in the background that’s Haru, and then in the next pic that’s my uncle Ayame.” I told him and he shifted the phone to look out for my family that I treasured.

“And that has got to be your dad right? You look just like him!!” I nodded my head looking at the soft smiling face of my dad who had always looked out for me.

“Yep!! That’s my dad, I love him to bits. Alright I’ve got the next question since we got way off topic, what is your favorite band since you know all of mine.” He blew out a puff of air leaning his head back and looking up at the ceiling.

“There’s no judgment here right?” I put my hands up in surrender but had an eyebrow raised waiting for him to continue.

“I really love Taylor Swift…” He admitted to me and I couldn’t help the surprised giggle that left me.

“You said not to judge, you said nothing but surprised laughing. I honestly am not that surprised I mean she’s good, I hear her a lot with Lin. I mean I have a guilty pleasure too, do you have that written down because I can just tell you now.” He nodded his head and I hummed in thought wondering what quote I would go with. I eventually decided against it since we were in a public place and the last thing that I wanted was to be openly stared at.

“It’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. I watch it with my dad every year on Halloween. The kids around the compound will go from house to house trick or treating but we don’t get a whole lot of them so most of the candy we eat ourselves. It’s been a tradition since I was maybe nine? My brother started joining us two years ago.” I told him about my guilty pleasure movie and I smiled softly. I was actually having a good conversation with a friend and I didn’t need one of my cousins around me.

“I actually watch that every year with my mom too!! She showed it to me when I was younger and she just told me that you know there’s sex here but it’s natural and to just deal with it. I think she might have been drunk at that point in time.” I laughed at my friend a little bit showing him my notebook where I was keeping track of all this stuff.

“What movie do you watch that makes you feel better?” He asked me and I tapped my pencil for a second.

“Usually when I’m having a bad day all I really want to do is laugh at something stupid. So I want to say that my go to movie on a bad day is Money Pit, another movie that I’ve loved since I was a little girl. It has me in hysterics every single time I watch it. It’s my go to movie after I’ve had a sensory overload. Apparently my dad used to be way behind in the times in terms of popular culture before then he met my mom and she taught him a lot of different things about it.” I pushed a lock of hair for the second time today talking about my mom. It was rare that I ever mentioned her at all. Mostly because I didn’t really know a whole lot about her to have a conversation with. 

“What is your favorite modern song?” I smiled a little bit thinking about my favorite songs that I had come into contact with that were considered ‘modern’.

“Does Ed Sheeran count? He’s modern right? I think so…” I talked mostly to myself and hearing Kakeru’s laugh at me made me feel even better.

“I really need to educate you, the old stuff is good but there’s some amazing new stuff too. Not just Taylor mind you but yeah I guess he’s considered for the most part popular modern music.” I snapped my fingers together remembering a song that I had loved whenever it was played over the radio.

“So it is a love song so you’re probably going to mock me for that, it’s Thinking Out Loud.” My friend nodded his head in approval.

“That song is beautiful so you’re not going to get any fighting from me. Do you have any other talents that you’re good at?” I smiled softly thinking to myself about what I was good at other than the items that I had mentioned to him.

“Have I mentioned that I can dance really well?” I asked him and he shook his head with a small interested smile.

“I’ve been dancing since I was a little girl. It was one of the first things that I found I was good at other than self defence. It started off as something that I would just do for fun but then my uncle Shigure was like why don’t you start your own Youtube channel where you dance? So I started Dancing Through Life which is themed after one of my favorite songs in musical theater and it was also my very first video.” I explained to him and he listened to me talk about my love of dance and he looked me up on his phone.

“Is this you?!” He asked me pointing to my green dress and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“That is me, my uncle did my makeup and made the dress. I’ve always been good at dancing and that was mostly a ballet piece. The song itself is one of my favorites because I guess it reminded me of the way that I wanted to live my life sometimes.” He put his phone back into his pocket and it reminded me of something. I didn’t have his phone number yet… but how does one go about asking for this? It would be the first time that I had to do this kind of thing.

“I umm I…” I took a deep breath and Kakeru sat there waiting patiently for me to gather my thoughts into a collective being.

“I just realized that I don’t have your phone number and I’ve never had to ask for one before…” My friend smiled softly at me and he took my hands in his squeezing them gently to calm me down a little bit.

“You usually just ask outright. I was waiting for you to make that first move just in case I pushed you too far. I didn’t want to make you do anything that you didn’t want to do. I’m not about that and that’s not why I’m interested in you. I’m fascinated because you’re so different from everyone that I’ve ever met. I want to learn every little thing about you, even the things that aren’t happy. I want you to eventually rely on me and talk to me about your family. I know that they hurt you and I hate that I wasn’t there to protect you. I know that you had people that did but they weren’t me. I can dance a little bit too but I’m not that good and I’m definitely way out of practice. Do you have a favorite song that you’ve ever danced to?” He talked me down like a professional and I instantly felt a lot better at the change of subject.

“My favorite song that I’ve ever danced to is My Strongest Suit from Aida. It’s an old school nineties musical but it had music by Elton John in it and I loved dancing to it. It was also one of the first times that I did a combination of two different styles ballet and contemporary. I’ve been working on a Step In Time one but that’s hard because it’s just me. That is meant to be done with a huge group. I had the same thought when I wanted to do ``Me Ol’ Bamboo.” I had loved that dance so much it was the first time that I had made my own outfit choice. Dancing to that song never failed to put me in a more confident mood. If I had to choose between playing violin in front of people or dancing it would be dance all the way. I could plan out a dance to the last detail but when it came to violin that was all muscle memory.

“That will be the first one that I watch then!! I’ll bet that you were beautiful. What dress were you wearing for that one?” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face playing with my skirt.

“It was a baby blue dress that my uncle had made for me for dance beforehand. I did my own makeup for that one too with his supervision and approval. I always filmed in my sensei’s house. He had a separate place for me to practice that was soundproof. That way I couldn’t distract his students and they couldn’t disturb me when I was trying to nail a video. I always had the perfect lighting there too. And he would always take me off grounds for lunch afterwards.” I remembered the way that dress had flowed when I did the perfect spin.

“I’ll bet that you were absolutely stunning, I mean you are to me right now but I’d love to see you dance sometime. I mostly just play video games, watch movies and do your typical teenager things. It’s a little bit boring and lonely though. I’d need somebody to do them with.”  _ God yes please. That sounds like my kind of heaven.  _ My heart warmed when he smiled at me and I couldn’t help but see him helping me beat a level in Crash Bandicoot in the back of my mind. I saw afternoons helping him with homework from that day, snuggling up under the futon as uncle Shigure teased me about us being too cute for words.

“What are you thinking about there Fumi-chan?” He asked me and I blushed a bright pink shaking my head to get that fantasy out of my mind right then and there.

“O-Oh nothing, did you ask me something?” He laughed at me a little bit shaking his head and then he turned to look me dead in the eyes.

“Nope, you were just staring off into space with your eyes all happy and glazed over. I was wondering what had that happy expression on your face.” I wanted to just dig my own hole right here and now. Just vanish into the floor and never have to see anybody ever again.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to tell me? I promise that I don’t judge.” He reminded me squeezing my hands with a small smile on his face.

“H-How are you at Crash Bandicoot?” I asked him and his eyes instantly lit up with this bright fire behind them.

“Pretty dang awesome if I say so myself!!” He said confidently and I smiled softly at his overconfidence since I had never met anybody who was legitimately good at Crash Bandicoot.

“I sometimes struggle with it. I have problems timing it and things like that. I was just thinking about you helping me and…” The last part was what I had been struggling with and I took a deep breath. Kakeru squeezed my hands encouragingly waiting for me to finish my thoughts.

“Uncle Shigure has this futon like most people and I kinda had this idea of us cuddling and him jokingly teasing us. Word to the wise, he’s a bit of a perv and a creeper but he means well.” I looked up taking a chance and for the first time I saw his cheeks a light pinkish color.

“I would actually love that, you probably get really cold don’t you?” I nodded my head with a shy smile on my face.

“I’m basically a furnace at the best of times so I’d be happy to keep you warm. I thought that they were adorable just like you.” He kissed my hand and I couldn’t help the small eep of surprise at the random gesture.

“You are too freaking cute I can’t handle it…” He mimed fainting and I laughed at my friend looking at our teacher who had a small smile on his face. I could see in the back of my mind that he was already shipping us together. He could probably join Mrs. Tupling in that regard.

“What is the cast album that you listen to the most and you never get tired of hearing it?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit trying to think between the top three.

“Probably Hamilton I’ve listened to that one a bunch of times yet somehow it’s always like the first time where I just know all the lyrics. My dad got me into that one. He was like well my daughter loves history and musical theater let’s see what happens when I get her this really hot cast album that just came out. That’s when the obsession started and my uncle got my tickets when we were in New York to see Fun Home months in advance. It was amazing to see it all happen right in front of me!! That was my birthday present when I was ten.” I explained about my love of the American musical that had changed my life. It was such a moving tale of glory for somebody that was long since dead. I felt especially like I related to Helpless right now when I was looking at Kakeru.

“We had to listen to that soundtrack last year!! It’s amazing that one person did all of those things to make the show possible. It was actually really inspiring.” I smiled softly at my new friend that I had made yesterday.

“He’s incredible. I've always wanted to meet him and thank him for giving a voice to those that are long gone. I sing the songs with my brother all the time. It's one of the things that bind us together. We are vastly different people but there are a lot of things that tell you we’re related. Not by blood but my dad always tells me that blood doesn’t really matter when it comes to family. The other is that we’re both into the violin I actually taught him after uncle Aya taught me. We can also both do gymnastics. While I was doing karate and ballet he was learning how to flips and handstands as a way to combat his ADHD.” I pushed a stray strand of hair back behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“Your little brother and you sound like you’re really close. Me and Machi weren’t always that way we still aren’t. She insists on calling me by my last name while at school and doesn’t acknowledge me out of it. It hurts a little bit. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me but she’s a little bit cold to others. It’s thankfully better than it was. I used to be entirely indifferent to her existence. In fact I was jealous of her because she was a legit daughter and I was the one that wasn’t wanted around.” My heart broke for my friend and I could tell that family was a really touchy subject matter for him.

“I got really lucky with my family even though a lot of people around me spread nasty rumors. I've still got my dad, my brother, my uncles, Lin, Kyo and Haru. That’s all I really need in my life and I’ve sort of taken a couple of them for granted mostly my uncle Shigure because he was always too busy looking after Lin. She was sick a lot so he had to work with her most of the time. I’m sorry that yours was less than gracious to you. I can’t even imagine a world where I would be indifferent to Momiji. Especially after all he’s been through.” I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“Your family loves you. I might not truly know what that’s like but I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. We’ll work on that little apology problem of yours m’lady.” He joked and I instantly felt my heart warming looking at my friend.

“I want to apologize less too so I won’t complain about getting rid of that little problem. What’s your favorite video game?” I asked him and he ran his hands through his hair in exasperation looking at me with false terror.

“Do you have any idea that you’ve just asked the hardest question to ever ask a gamer?” I laughed at Kakeru and when I saw that smile on his face that sent butterflies through my body.

“You made me pick a favorite cast album so this is my way of getting revenge against you.” I joked and he leaned his head back looking at the ceiling for a second.

“My favorite game is actually a series of games. It's the Batman Arkham Games. Mark Hamill came back to voice The Joker and it’s literally the best thing ever.” I smiled softly at my friend since I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I loved him in the cartoon!! I watched most of my cartoons in English it’s one of the reasons that I’m so good at the language now. I would pause the episodes and recite lines of dialogue that I thought were funny or suited the character. It’s how I know Rob Paulsen’s career so well because he was the first voice actor that I really spotted and learned about.” I explained how I had learned about the voice actor for most of my childhood favorite characters.

“I was meaning to ask about that yesterday, what is your favorite character that he has ever done?” I smiled brightly playing with my fingers as I flipped through the pages of my sketchbook finding the many pages of Pinky that I had drawn.

“My favorite character that he has ever played by a long shot is Pinky. I’ve never really related to a character as much as I have with him. That sort of just nice, kind, goofy, loud, sometimes absentminded but at the same time he has such a big heart. I’ve always been drawn to the way that he voiced Pinky from the cockney accent to the rounded R’s that never fail to make me smile. I’ve loved this character for a really long time. I’ve wanted to hear what my name would sound like in his voice for most of my life.” I talked animatedly about my favorite little deranged lab mouse and my partner listened to every word that I was saying.

“You drew these?! You really are amazing Fumi-chan!!” He encouraged flipping through the pages laughing a little bit when he saw one of Pinky trying on makeup and a dress.

“That’s for my brother’s birthday card, he loves cartoons too. He’s genderfluid which you probably already noticed because of the skirt that he was wearing. He still uses he\him pronouns since usually he uses male clothes but he thinks that female clothing is just too cute to say no to.” I smiled softly thinking about my little brother who had never been shy about who he was or what he wanted to do.

“He’ll love it, that’s so cute!! You really nailed all the attributes that make Pinky well Pinky for lack of a better phrase.” I smiled softly looking at all the different sketches that I had made over the last few months.

“He was about the only thing that kept me going for the last few months. Uncle Aya always indulged me. Thankfully he would sit and watch them with me. He was the one who watched all the old episodes with me when I was younger and then he bought me all the episodes for my fifth birthday. Ever since then it’s been my favorite cartoon other than Teen Titans. It’s hard for me to rank them. I love to laugh and nothing makes me laugh like this little guy.” Kakeru looked at me a little bit dazed but I could see the smile on his face.

“You are so beautiful when you start talking about something you love. You get these little sparkles in your eyes.” He told me and I blushed a bright pink color and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I can’t help it. I love cartoons, especially this one. It’s a special memory of mine. I have a sweater that my uncle made for me themed to it that I love wearing in the wintertime. It was the first time that he had ever used characters on a product and it came out great. That was last year for my Christmas present. Since then he’s also made me a pair of Little Prince pajamas that he just gave to me yesterday.” I fingered the end of my necklace smiling softly at the fact that my uncle did sort of spoil me but it was in clothing. I was almost glad about moving out of the Sohma house because I got to wear whatever I wanted now. Around there Akito had made a strict rule that I couldn’t wear anything nerdy. 

“I can only imagine how cute you would be when you’re wearing it!! You’ll have to wear it for one of our dates.” Kakeru looked at me with these soft eyes and I couldn’t help but fall even deeper into the pit for him.

“Are you serious?” I asked him in sheer disbelief and he nodded his head with a small nervous smile on his face.

“If you want to go on a date with me that is…” He protested and I smiled softly at him. When I looked at him I could see that he was genuinely scared of me turning him down. 

“Hey, hey Kakeru, I’d love to go on a date with you.” I said confidently and when he looked up at me I could see the hearts that were in his eyes.

“Next weekend?” I nodded my head with a small smile since there was still time to get know each other before that date.

“I guess I should have your phone number before then?” I asked him jokingly and he just laughed a little bit at me.

“What are you doing to me m’lady I thought that you were all sweet and shy only to see that there is this confidence hidden there underneath.” I laughed at my friend with a bright smile on my face.

“I don’t know what came over me honestly I don’t. I’m sorry if that was too forward…” I apologized and he just sent me that lazy smirk.

“There’s the Fumi-chan that I know who continues to apologize despite not needing to. I liked it when you were confident I think that you should just be yourself.” He told me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I’ll try my best to make you happy. I know that I want to be more confident but it’s a little bit harder for me. I’ll start by performing for the showcase no matter what happens you’ll be there to catch me.” Kakeru smiled softly at me squeezing my hand and I felt the warmth of that palm ground me.

“Of course I will, I’ll always come whenever you need me. No matter what happens if we work out or not in a romantic fashion you can always trust me.” I nodded my head flipping to a page and stopping with a small smile on my face. I had drawn Pinky with little hearts floating around him a few weeks ago. I couldn’t help but think with a small laugh that was probably what I looked like right now.

“Me too, I want you to know that even if I try to push you away it’s not really my fault. I’ve never felt this way about anyone if I’m being entirely honest. I didn’t think that anybody would ever look at me and see me. It’s hard for me to understand what you even see in me at all…” I trailed off and he just smiled softly and lazily at me.

“What do I see in you? Well that’s a funny question. I see somebody that’s beautiful even when they can’t see it themselves. Someone who’s heart is so big that they’ll help anybody that needs it. I see somebody that has been thrown around her whole life and didn’t deserve any of it. I see a girl that has been lonely and knows what it feels like to not be wanted around. I want to show you that your emotions and feelings are valid and okay. It’s just when I look at you I see something so precious and beautiful that I can’t help but want to call you mine. I’ll be yours too of course I’m not possessive or anything like that!! It’s just I want to show you how beautiful and cute you really are. When you talk about cartoons I could listen to you forever and still never be truly satisfied. I think that you truly are the most stunning person that I have ever seen and I only want to show you that I’m going to stick around. What do you see in me?” He asked me and I could feel the tears start welling up in my eyes.

“I-I see somebody who’s laugh is something that I could hear on repeat for the rest of my life and it’s the only thing that I’ll ever need to hear to stay calm. When you hold my hands it’s like the rest of the world falls away. I see somebody that tries their best to make sure that their sister is okay even if she couldn’t care less about him. I see the type of person that my dad would approve of because he would just take one look at how I look at you and know that no matter what he did he couldn’t change anything. In my rare moments of weakness when I would picture that type of person that I wanted to be with it was always somebody exactly like you. I feel at home when you’re next to me taking the attention off of me and instead directing it onto yourself. When I look at you it’s like I don’t need to be doing anything else. I think that you’re the cutest boy that I’ve ever seen in my entire life…” I trailed off and he just looked at me, his eyes soft, loving and adoring.

“You’re so cute…” He praised and I blushed a bright pink as he laughed at me a little bit but I could tell that he indulged me. 

“What is your favorite song in musical theater from a cast album that you’re not the biggest fan of?” He asked me to change the subject and I laughed a little bit knowing what my pick would be.

“Probably Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat from Cats, I also really love If I Had My Time Again but I love that cast album that’s from Groundhog Day. But most of the time I don’t really have cast albums that I hate other than Cats which just makes no sense to me whatsoever and I’ve seen the show.” I had barely sat through the show and even Momiji hadn’t been a huge fan of it. He was an even easier person to please than I was.

“I have one more question that I wanted to ask you, what’s your favorite kind of flower?” He asked me and I cocked my head to the side with a curious expression.

“I really love lilies, they are beautiful, why asking?” He shrugged his shoulders with a small smile on his face and I could see the little sparkle of mischief there. 

“I was just curious as to what ones you liked. Did you watch The Muppets growing up?” I nodded my head enthusiastically flipping through the pages of my sketchbook and finding my Gonzo drawings that I had made.

“My dad showed me the old episodes and movies when I was a little girl. My favorite is Gonzo by a long shot. He's always been my favorite. I’ve got to stand by the people that are different and he’s one of my favorites. I also love Fozzie of course most people have to if they’re fans of the show. No matter how bad the jokes were I always laughed at him. I also really love Scooter!!” He looked at my drawings of my favorite of the group and he smiled softly at me. I looked at one of Gonzo flying out of his cannon.

“I can totally see you as a Gonzo stan as a little girl!! That would have been so cute!! My favorite was Fozzie of course, he’s probably where my sense of humor came from.” I smiled softly at my friend as the bell rang above our heads.

“Are you going to have lunch with Honda and the others again?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Yes I am if that’s alright.” He nodded his head at me waving me out of the classroom and I laughed a little bit at him. I went down the hall finding 1-D and opening the classroom door finding Uotani as she waved me down.

“Yo!! What’s got you all happy sighing? Is it Manabe?” I nodded my head slumping into the seat across from her.

“He asked me out on a date next weekend, sorry I’ll try to stop doing it.” I apologized and she just shook her head at me as Hana-chan came up from behind me taking her own seat. 

“Don’t apologize, it's a good look on you Fumi-chan. I’m just glad that you look happier than you did yesterday morning.” Tohru came carrying four bento boxes for everyone and I wanted to protest but she just shook her head at me.

“There’s no need to thank me!! I wanted to make lunch for everyone plus you didn’t eat a whole lot for breakfast.” She warned me and I took the box opening it feeling tears come to my eyes seeing a white Totoro.

“Oh lucky!! She got a themed one, what did I get…” Uo-chan asked herself to open it and cheer when she saw a red butterfly. 

“Thank you very much Tohru, I’ll make lunch for everyone tomorrow once I get to the store.” She shook her head at me with a small smile on her face.

“I told you that you don’t have to Fumi-chan I like cooking!!” Uo-chan scooted her chair a little bit closer to mine.

“So you got a date with that goofball, how do you feel about that?” She asked me and I smiled wistfully at the idea of Kakeru in general.

“I feel like I’m floaty kinda if that makes any sense? Like it’s a really happy feeling and I feel like I could cry at any moment. I never really thought that anybody would be interested in me like that. He’ll be good for me. I’m doing the showcase for music class because of him. At first I was going to ask to be left out.” I started to eat my bento and I sighed at how good the was. I definitely was going to have to make it up to Tohru.

“But you’re so naturally talented!! Why wouldn’t you want to?” Tohru asked me and I smiled a little bit meekly.

“Mostly it’s just anxiety talking, I was worried that I would let my uncle down if he saw me screw up. I want to do the best I can and make him proud of me when I do this. I know it sounds dumb to be anxious about something that I’m good at but I still panicked and freaked out a little bit on him. I’m surprised that he even still wants to be with me after that.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and Hana-chan glanced over at me.

“I think that he wants to be with you because he sees what we do as an amazingly strong person.” She vouched and I smiled softly at her for caring so much about me. I took one of the rolled eggs and sighed at the flavor.

“I’m going to do it now but for a little while there I was considering just calling it quits. It’s why I can’t do the symphony. Somebody would always have to be visible to me in the audience and what a pain in the ass that would be.” Uo-chan smiled softly at me kicking her foot with mine smiling broadly.

“It’s not a pain if somebody you love is out there and your uncle clearly loves you so much. On the off chance that you do mess up he’s not going to give a shit about it. He’ll be so proud of you for getting up there at all!! It takes a girl with some serious balls to go up there in front of all those parents and a lot of talent which you’ve already got in spades.” She gave me her fist to pound and I laughed a little bit giving her exactly what she wanted.

“I agree with Hana-chan and Uo-chan your uncle loves you so very much. There’s no way that you’ll mess up and even if you do he couldn’t possibly hate you. I know about anxiety every time I do badly on a test or I get sick I worry that I’m too much for my mom to handle all by herself.” Tohru encouraged me and I knew that she had a good point. I took one of the sliced apples around the white Totoro.

“Have you tried him yet?” She asked me and I shook my head wondering if eating this would be a crime.

“How did you even know that he was my favorite?” I took the first bite and saw that it was filled with cashew chicken, my favorite food. I felt tears come to my eyes and officially let them fall.

“Cashew chicken is my favorite food!! How did you even know that?” She laughed a little bit at me rubbing the back of her neck a little bit.

“I might have asked Manabe what it was yesterday when I ran into him at the store. I wanted to officially welcome you into the friend group so that was the best idea that I could come up with!! You can have the leftovers when you come over today after school.” She implored me and I smiled softly at the idea that Kakeru had used the knowledge of my favorite food to help my female friends.

“Thank you very much this is heavenly Tohru. I haven’t had this food in a really long time.” Uo-chan looked at me with her thinned out eyebrow raised.

“How long are we talkin’ about here?” I thought back to the last time that I had my favorite meal humming.

“Probably my eleventh birthday? I wasn’t allowed to have it on the grounds of the Sohma house they considered it too fattening. At least the older women did and they already hated my guts so I didn’t really want to make them angrier.” Uo-chan rolled her eyes at me and put her arm around my shoulders.

“Hey Tohru, do you think that you can make more of that this weekend for the sleepover?” She nodded her head with a happy smile.

“I’ll also show the recipe that I used!! Do you enjoy cooking Fumi-chan?” I smiled softly thinking of all the nights when I had to go and get my dad and brother telling them that dinner was ready.

“I love cooking actually and thankfully for that too. My dad burns water and my brother is the baker but I can bake really well too. I hope that they’re getting alright now that I can’t be there anymore.” Hana-chan finished her bento and then got out her own lunch that seemed to be two times bigger and she opened the bag to me.

“I’m willing to share if you see anything you like.” She told me and I looked into her bag seeing that there was a candied apple in there. I took that and saw that it was rolled around in Reeses.

“I’ll take this, thanks Hana-chan!! I’ll be sure to bring something tomorrow once I have the time to go to the store.” I told my friends putting the apple into my backpack thinking that I would share that with Lin when I got home… oh wait. She wasn’t going to be there when I got home.

“Your waves went sad again, what seems to be the problem?” The girl across from me asked me and I shook myself.

“Nothing I’m fine just sad that I won’t be seeing Lin for a while. I wish I could have said goodbye to her but I didn’t want to wake her up. I’ll miss her a lot that’s all. She’s like my sister. I know that this is the best shot that we have to getting her better but it just hurts. I won’t be able to have her come to my birthday party. I always share the sweets that I get in the day with her usually.” Uo-chan smiled softly at me and crossed her legs over her chair while finishing her own lunch and fishing through Hana’s bag coming out with a cheese and fruit bag. Uo handed me one as well that I put into my backpack.

“I can’t really relate to that but just know that we’ll be here for a listening ear if you need us.” The bell rang over my head and I finished my bento nodding my head with a small smile.

“I’ll met you guys outside of the school?” I offered and Uo-chan gave me the thumbs up while Tohru wished me to have a good last few classes of the day. I smiled to myself going back to the main classroom and taking my seat where Kakeru was already there. He looked so cute and adorable balancing a pencil on his upper lip and I couldn’t help but think, yeah there wasn’t anybody I would rather want to date in my entire life. I was already looking at my idea of perfection and I didn’t want him to change a damn thing.

“You are such a goofball what did I tell you about leaning back in your chair?” I asked him my hands jokingly on hips trying to pretend to be cross with him.

“Fumi-chan!!” He cheered and instantly all of that imaginary irritation withered away to just the thought of what it would be like to snuggle with him for the rest of my life. He steadied his chair and took the pencil off from beneath his nose taking his hand in mine.

“Did you have a nice lunch with your friends?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“I got a candy apple from Hana-chan that she was willing to let me take. I also got a fruit and cheese bag that I should probably eat since I’m still hungry…” I got out the fruit and cheese by taking a square of it and putting it on the French bread. I nearly sighed at the taste of freshly baked bread and cheese.

“Did you happen to run into Tohru at the store yesterday?” I asked him and he gulped a little bit embarrassed.

“I did yeah and I did tell her what your favorite food was because she asked me. Did she make you something for lunch today?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face showing him a picture of the bento that I had taken during lunch time.

“She made me a white Totoro bento and it was the cutest thing that I’d ever seen in my entire life.” He leaned his head back a little bit and tried some of my fruit and cheese sighing nodding his head.

“That’s really good!! You’re more for the sweet stuff aren’t you milady?” He asked me and I nodded my head taking one of the halved strawberries.

“Sort of, I’ve always been a picky eater ever since I was little and there’s still a lot of food that I haven’t had. I really want to try katsudon one day. They never allowed me to have it back in the Sohma house even cashew chicken was forbidden. That’s kind why I’m so skinny right now.” I took another little tear off of the bread handing it to the boy that was still occupying my other hand. 

“I can’t believe that you’ve never tried katsudon. Is it wrong that I want to do that maybe for one of our dates?” I laughed at my friend a little bit pushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“It wouldn’t be wrong at all I also would love an arcade date too!! I’m alright at video games mostly I just want to have fun with you that’s the biggest thing.” I took one of the grapes popping into my mouth by air and cheering when I was successful.

“I used to do these things with Haru when we got bored. I think our record was fifteen in a row? Just tossing them back and forth. It was a good day. A lot of my favorite memories of the Sohma estate were just doing random things like that with Haru. He’s my best friend. Him and Kyo were always there for me whenever I needed them.” I told him with a small laugh at the memory of the two of us goofing around together and just causing chaos.

“Aww I’ll bet that you two were so cute together growing up. Can I see your list of songs that you want to perform for the showcase?” He asked me and I showed him all the songs that I wanted to play. 

“You’ve seen the secret of Nimh? I want to play that one with you please can I?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit nodding my head since I would like to have the backup on that one. 

“Of course you can if you want to!! It’s one of my favorite movies. I love to watch it with my uncle so I really wanted to add it in there for him. I’m going to at least sing one of the songs from each group the others will have the property in the background. I haven’t decided which of my dad’s songs I want to sing yet between I’m Going To Go Back There Someday and Wakko’s Capitals.” He pointed to the familiar Gonzo song and it warmed my heart that he was wanting to help me. 

“I recommend playing it safe and singing that one it’s really beautiful and I think it would mean a lot to your dad. Are you feeling alright? You kinda did freak out on me a little bit earlier. I hope that I didn’t give you a sensory overload…” I shook my head with a small laugh. My heart warmed at the thought that he had done his research.

“Oh no I didn’t have any sensory overloads. I did kinda maybe have a little baby one but that was it. I got quickly better thanks to you. I’ll sing that one!! I won’t tell any of them that I’m going to be singing. I want for it to be a surprise.” I ate the last of the fruit sharing the bread and the cheese with Kakeru and he smiled softly at me. 

“I know that whatever you do he’ll love it they all will. You’re such a talented performer and I sometimes can’t believe all the things that you can do. I watched you perform Dancing Through Life and you were so breathtaking.” I blushed a bright pink getting out my pencils and things for my class so that I could be prepared for whatever lied ahead.

“I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!! That was a lot of fun making that dance and putting it together and even though it’s only the first two minutes of the song a lot of people loved my style.” I smiled brightly at my friend leaning against him with a small smile on a face. 

“Why is it only the first two minutes of the song?” He asked me and I smiled a little bit sadly remembering how I had wanted my friends to do it with me back in elementary school but they turned me down even though it was weird.

“It was just me so I eventually decided to just do the beginning of Fiyero’s part of the song when he first gets to school. I wanted to do something fun and easy so I decided to do that song. My friends turned me down when I asked them if they wanted to be a part of it with me. They thought that it was a weird thing to want to do. So I did it anyway just to spite them.” I shrugged my shoulders hearing the bell ring over my head for the official start of class. Mrs. Tupling came in and called the class to order.

“I’ve heard that you are all doing a very special presentation for music class. I can’t wait to see what all of you come up with!!” She encouraged us by getting out our math books and taking us through the last lessons of the day. Kakeru put his arm around my shoulders with a small smile on his face. 

“I wrote my number on your hand by the way.” He told me shooting me a wink and I looked at my hand that he had written on with a sharpie marker. I couldn’t believe this lovable loon and I took out my phone plugging his information in. I thought for a second before just texting him a simple hi.

“You are so freaking cute oh my god I can’t believe this…” He praised and I blushed a light pink when I saw him add my name as milady on his phone.

“Well I didn’t really know what else to say. Sorry if I’m a really awkward texter in advance. It’s something that I don’t really do a whole lot because a lot of the time I don’t need to.” I apologized and Kakeru squeezed the hand that was holding mine.

“I’ll still text you anyways!! No matter what happens we’ll still be friends even if this date doesn’t work out.”  _ Please let this date work out, I’ll do anything.  _ I begged half heartedly, wanting for everything to go perfect. I didn’t know how I was going to handle everything if this went back to us just being friends.

“I should really be going before Uo-chan sends out a search party. Thanks for being so amazing Kakeru.” I kissed his cheek and I watched the light pink graze over his cheeks and I giggled at him. He was so cute. I went out the front doors almost floating on clouds. I couldn’t help it. For once in my life I was actually happy and now nobody could stop me.

“Hey Fumi-chan!!” I followed the sound of Tohru’s voice and I watched as Hana-chan smiled softly at me.

“You look happy.” She told me and I nodded my head adjusting my messenger bag over my shoulder.

“I feel happy, for once in my life things seem to finally be going my way. I feel like I should be thanking Akito for what he did to me instead of punching him the next time I see him.” I joked and Uo-chan looked at me with her eyes softened.

“Is that the person that hurt you?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear knowing that we would be having this conversation. 

“If you aren’t ready to discuss what happened to you, Fumi-chan, then you don’t have to tell us.” Tohru reminded me and I shook my head because maybe I would feel better once I did talk about it.

“I’m not the first person that he’s hurt. Maybe if I talk about it I'll feel better. It wasn’t even really that bad respectively; it could have been a lot worse. My dad met my mom in college. He’s one of the few that was allowed to go to college because our family needed a doctor. He met her once he started doing his shadowing at a local hospital where she was training too. Her name is Kana and that’s about all I know other than what my uncle has told me. He loved her. They were together for about a year and he wanted to marry her. When he went to Akito, who is our family head, asking his permission to get married, he just snapped. Threw a mirror at dad’s head and now he can barely see out of his left eye. That’s just a little bit of backstory. I was always shunned for being the daughter out of wedlock. I’m lucky that during my mom’s depression that she didn’t lose me at least that’s what my dad tells me. She left me after I was born didn’t even stick around long enough to know me. So that’s why I don’t know her.” I gave my backstory and Hana-chan supportively rushed to take my hand.

“People around the estate, mostly the older ladies, never really liked me. They thought that I was good for nothing but they still wanted to raise me with an iron fist because I didn’t have a mother figure. My dad adopted my baby brother Momiji when his mother gave him up at the age of four. She spiraled into a really deep depression but she got better. I never had an interaction with Akito until four months ago. Things started off perfectly fine you know? He asked me how school was going, to play violin for him, how my karate training was going. Then all of the sudden it was like he just snapped. He threw the biggest vase that he could at the wall and the shards hit me all over my face, arms and legs. He told me that I was nothing but a whore, a burden on those around me. I broke down when he told me something. That my living was my dad’s biggest wreck that my dad wished that Kana had lost the baby when she was pregnant. It’s because of my cousin Haru getting me out of there when he did that I’m standing here now. He was sitting outside and he heard me crying for help.” Hana-chan thumbed at my cheeks drying the tears that I didn’t even know were there.

“Where is this dick at?! He shouldn’t be going around hurting innocent people like that!! Fumi I’m so glad that you’re out of that place and that you’re safe. I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of that.” Uo-chan got my candy apple out of my backpack, opened it and handed me a slice. I took a bite and instantly started to be comforted by the food.

“Fumi-chan…” Tohru trailed off and I shook my head with a small smile on my face. I took the bag of caramel apple and took another piece.

“Don’t apologize guys I’m fine, hey I’m out of there and that’s probably the most important thing!! It’s all good now water under the bridge I know that he wasn’t right. My dad loves me and I know that. Like I said it’s hard to find a member of my family that hasn’t been hurt by him. The only one that I can think of is my uncle Aya because Akito thinks that he’s annoying.” I laughed loudly thinking about my overly exuberant uncle that was always there for me when I needed him.

“Even the one in the wheelchair?” I nodded my head at Hana-chan’s question clenching my fist in my skirt.

“Lin has gotten it pretty hard from him in the past but she always acts like it doesn’t matter. I think to be honest that Akito is probably most jealous of her because she took my uncle Shigure away from him. They used to have a thing going when I was younger before that happened and when he left Akito got crueler.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and got my phone out and saw that Momiji had actually texted me.

_ Little Brother: Hey sissy!! Hatori told me that you met a boy, call me later ja?  _ I laughed a little bit at my brother’s antics sending him a thumbs up emoji.

“He doesn’t call your father dad?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face putting my phone back in my bag.

“No he doesn’t because he’s still close to his dad. It’s just his mom. Our family is really complicated and messy and it’s kind of hard to explain. We just try to love Momiji as much as we can. The ja is German he learned the language back in elementary school. He wanted something to tie him to his mother.” Tohru walked in front of me and squeezed my hands and I hugged me tightly.

“I can’t believe that you had done that. You’re so incredibly strong Fumi-chan and I’m so proud of you.” She told me and I felt tears come to my eyes and Uo-chan hugged me as well. Finally, Hana-chan joined in the hug making it a group hug. I crumpled a little bit finally letting the tears of this year escape my eyes. It had been so emotionally exhausting to have to go through all of this and then talk about it with people who wouldn’t understand. 

“Aww are we having a group hug and nobody told me?” I heard the voice of an older woman and I pulled back from the hug. I looked up seeing a woman with orange hair and orange eyes and I thought to myself how she looked more like Kyo than his own “mother” did.

“Hi mom!!” Tohru hugged her mom and I could see the smile on her face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Well who’s this cute little thing? Did you make a new friend Tohru?” Her daughter nodded her head and Hana-chan held my hand comfortingly to try and help me through this.

“I’m Fumiko Sohma ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Fumi-chan, that's what my uncle started calling me when I was a baby.” I told her and she smiled brightly at me wrapping me up in a tight hug.

“Fumi-chan it is!! That suits you almost perfectly, so very polite just like my Tohru.” She praised and I smiled softly. I had never had a motherly figure in my entire life but something about this woman in front of me made me feel sort of nostalgic for something that I never really had.

“Did she start at your school late this year Tohru?” She asked her daughter and the young girl nodded her head with a small smile.

“She just recently moved to town and her dad got a new job out here.” Uo-chan winked at me and I released a breath of air. I was in the clear and I wouldn’t have to worry about this situation.

“Where did you grow up Fumi-chan?” Tohru’s mother asked me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I grew up as a part of a big family compound where everyone was in one spot. My dad recently left because of a better job opportunity. He was the family doctor but he trained somebody else to take his place before he left.” I lied and I smiled softly when Hana-chan squeezed my hand gently and encouragingly.

“You might get a sharpie on your hand with the one that you’re holding by the way. I apologize in advance but I just thought that I would warn you.” I told her since she was holding the hand that Kakeru had written his phone number on.

“Why would I have a sharpie on my hand?” She asked me curiously and I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck.

“Because Kakeru wrote his phone number on that hand.” I told her simply and she laughed a little bit at me.

“Who’s Kakeru?” Tohru’s mom asked me and I felt a bright pink blush take over my cheeks as Uo-chan laughed at me.

“That’s her boyfriend.” She joked and I punched her side half heartedly as she just laughed at me.

“He’s not my boyfriend!! Not yet anyways…” I trailed off but Mrs. Honda was already laughing at me.

“But you want him to be don’t you?” Hana-chan asked me jokingly and I instantly wished that the ground could just swallow me whole right about now.

“Well yes but that’s not my point…” I protested and Tohru just smiled brightly at me. I could tell that this would be my life for quite some time.

“Okay you two stop messing with her I’m sorry about them they mean well. Manabe is her desk partner at school!! They became really fast friends, I guess they just found common ground.” I swung my hands behind my back with a small smile on my face taking the last wedge of caramel apple out of the bag.

“Oh I see, I’ll bet that he’s absolutely smitten with you Fumi-chan.” I blushed an even brighter shade of pink and Uo-chan just laughed with her.

“Oh you have no idea just how crazy these two are about each other. It’s actually super adorable how well they get along. It almost makes me sick to my stomach.” Uo-chan joked and I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Do you play violin Fumi-chan?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“Yes I do actually!! My uncle Aya taught me how to play when I was four and it’s been a part of me for the last nine years.” I told her and Uo-chan put her arm around my shoulders and I smiled up at the yankee next to me.

“She’s underselling herself, she's amazing at it, Sakamato is planning this big showcase for the best of our group of students and she played violin  _ and  _ sang at the same time.” I laughed at my friend shaking my head since even then that wasn’t a huge deal.

“Did you ever watch the older Disney movies?” Hana-chan asked me and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“There’s a lot of them that I haven’t seen. My dad was really not that encouraging of me watching Disney films. Mostly because he didn’t want me to look up to princesses. He thought that I would be better off admiring characters like Kiki or Sheeta. But I have seen a few of them mainly Beauty And The Beast and Hunchback Of Notre Dame those are my two favorites.” I explained to the gothic wave girl in front of me and Tohru smiled at me.

“I’ll have to show you some of them!! I sort of miss the way that they used to make films. I think you’d really love some of the older music. Is there something underneath your uniform? Like a necklace?” I hadn’t even noticed that I hadn’t taken out my new necklace yet. I reached a little bit under my blazer and shirt taking out the necklace.

“It’s really beautiful, another present from your uncle?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“He also sewed me her cape and it’s really warm. I can tell you that I have seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that’s one of my favorite movies!!” Mrs Honda just smiled softly at me and I hummed the song that I always thought of when I talked about the movie.

“I still think that my Tohru should show you the older films!! A lot of them are very good and you’ll probably love their music. Tell me you’ve at least seen Mary Poppins?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“I love that movie!! That’s my brother’s favorite so I’ve watched it with him a bunch of times. I can play most of the songs from it on the violin.” I gestured to the violin that I was carrying in my left hand.

“That necklace looks really familiar…” Uo-chan trailed off tapping her chin with her index finger before snapping.

“Secret of Nimh right?!” I laughed a little bit nodding my head with a small smile on my face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear just loving talking about everything and nothing with my new group of friends that I had made.

“Nailed it!! I knew that was the movie I was thinking of I used to love that movie when I was younger.” Uo-chan gave an air fist bump and I laughed at her openly. I saw the store that was probably closest to the Honda residence and I remembered the exact position of it for later so that I wouldn’t get lost.

“Are you alright Fumi-chan?” I nodded my head with a small smile adjusting my backpack and fingering the end of my Hamilton button.

“Oh yeah I’m fine trying to get myself to remember the exact position of that store. I think I hung around my cousin Haru a little bit too much growing up and his awful sense of direction rubbed off on me.” Tohru smiled brightly at me and Uo-chan squeezed my shoulder that her arm was still draped around.

“You’ve at least seen Winnie The Pooh though right?” I nodded my head at Hana-chan’s question with a bright smile.

“In fact, that might be my favorite Disney movie. I really love The Tigger Movie. Mostly because I could relate to that one because so much of my family I’m not that close to. So that’s probably going to stay my personal favorite. I've watched it a bunch of times and it’s one of three that I actually own on DVD. I’m going to watch it when I go back home!!” I said with a happy smile and a little skip in my step.

“That’s actually really cute…” I looked up seeing that Uo-chan had tears in her eyes and I looked panicked.

“Why are you crying?! I’m sorry did I make you cry I didn’t mean too!!” I apologized profusely and Hana-chan just handed her a handkerchief from her pocket.

“Don’t worry this happens all of the time. I’ve just grown accustomed to the fact that this is Uo’s way of showing that she cares. Do you have a favorite animal in the franchise?” Tohru asked me and I nodded my head enthusiastically. 

“It’s Tigger, it’s always been the bouncy little cat. The one I’m most like though is probably Piglet at least that’s what my brother jokes. Mostly I just love the way that they treated the kids like adults.” I hummed a little bit to myself and Uo-chan listened to me talking about my favorite animals in the hundred acre wood.

“Did you go to New York?” She asked me and I nodded my head flipping my bag around and showing my three buttons that I had on my bag.

“My uncle Aya took me and my dad for my tenth birthday four years ago. We saw Fun Home, Hamilton, Aladdin and Phantom Of The OperaThey were all amazing shows but my favorite was probably Fun Home and then Hamilton. I really loved all of them though it was just incredible to be that close to all of my favorite shows.” I talked about my love of theater and the shows that I had seen when I was visiting the big city in America.

“Weren’t you struggling to understand them since you’re not fluent in English?” Tohru asked me and I shook my head with a small nervous smile.

“Actually I’m fully bilingual, I can speak both Japanese and English. My dad got me started early on in life and my uncle tag teamed with him. My dad showed me Animaniacs in English which if you’re asking me is the best way to learn the language because the jokes are so fast and fluid. My uncle showed me Pinky And The Brain so I learned the language quickly. My brother is trilingual but he isn’t as good with English as I am. He shifted his focus to German and that’s where he wanted to do his work.” I explained how I had learned the English language and Hana-chan smiled softly at me.

“Would you like to come up to the apartment with the rest of us Fumi-chan?” Mrs Honda asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile.

“If it isn’t too much trouble I’d love to. Umm if you don’t mind me asking what do I call you?” I asked her and she just laughed a little bit at me.

“Just call me Kyoko sweetheart, that’s what I go by most of my daughter’s friends. You’re coming to the sleepover on Friday aren’t you?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“Yes I am!! I promised that I would bring Skeleton Twins. That's my favorite movie. Uo-chan asked me to bring it with me. I also heard that I was being bribed with cashew chicken if I did come.” Tohru laughed a little bit at me and I looked around the tiny apartment in front of me. I looked over in the corner seeing a photograph of a man.

“That’s Katsuya, he was Tohru’s daddy. He died a long time ago, when my Tohru was just a baby.” She told me and I smiled sadly at her relating to how that must have felt to not know such a critical member of your family.

“I’m sorry that must have been very hard for you Kyoko. I can’t even imagine not knowing my dad. I never knew my mom so he had to be both father and mother. Mine left me right after I was born. She was young and didn’t want me. I can’t say that I blame her. I mean I wish that I could’ve asked her why but I can imagine that the last thing I would want at twenty two is a kid.” I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my shoulders and I was being engulfed in a tightly wound hug. 

“I’m so sorry that happened to you honey. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like once you knew all of the unanswered questions of why you couldn’t have been enough. That was not a very good mother that you had though if she left you like that.” I smiled sadly at her and she kissed my forehead.

“Welcome to the family sweet girl. We don’t give up on people that easily trust me it took Uo-chan forever to eventually come around.” She joked and the Yankee sat down next to me on the floor.

“Is the reason that Tohru talks so polite because of her father?” I asked her and she nodded her head with a small smile.

“My uncle was the one that insisted that I talk maturely with everyone. Sometimes I regret him making that decision because so many people don’t understand the way I speak.” Tohru smiled softly at me coming over with tea and cookies. I didn’t want to be rude so I sipped at the tea and tried to suppress the shiver of disgust.

“I’m sorry, is the tea not good?” She asked me and I shook my head trying to take a bigger sip from the cup.

“It’s not you… I’m not a big fan of tea but I didn’t want to tell and be rude. Every time I have “tea” with my uncle Mine, his assistant that he works with she brings me hot chocolate.” I explained to her and she stood up panicking.

“I’m so sorry!! I should have asked beforehand if you even liked tea instead of assuming like that!!” She apologized profusely and I shook my head at her while Uo-chan laughed at the two of us interacting.

“It’s alright Tohru, I actually think that is rather adorable. Not sweet enough for you?” I shook my head, sighing a little bit.

“I’ve always had a taste for the sweet stuff ever since I was a little girl. I can’t stand the bitterness of tea that’s just always been there.” Tohru took my cup and before I could protest she dumped it down the sink.

“Milk as a base for your hot cocoa?” She asked me and I nodded my head and Tohru hummed a little bit getting me a mug and filling it to the near top before putting it into the microwave and coming back with my hot chocolate.

“Thank you very much I’m sorry if this is too annoying…” I apologized and Hana-chan came to sit down next to me taking one of the sugar cookies from the tray.

“There’s no need to apologize Fumi-chan. You’re the guest here and I wanted to make you feel as comfortable as possible.” Kyoko reminded me and I took a sip from my cooling drink that was in front of me.

“Mom is right Fumi-chan!! It’s really no trouble and now I know your favorite drink. Were you not allowed to have it back in the compound?” I nodded my head with a small sad smile on my face.

“Of course I could have it whenever I went to uncle Aya’s but other than that growing up it was a rare treat. I shouldn’t have it all the time otherwise I’ll gain weight…” My friend smiled at me leaning her dark head against my shoulder.

“I think that you could use the gaining of a few pounds. It might make your waves more at peace.” She argued and Uo-chan nodded her head, taking her own cup of tea she sipped at before adding milk and sugar to it.

“I’m with Hana-chan here, you’re basically a twig on a stick. I think that if your boyfriend were here he’d be on our side.” She told me and I laughed a little bit, blushing a bright pink color. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“For the millionth time he is not my boyfriend you are lunatic. When he is then you can call him that but I don’t want to make things more awkward than they already are.” I lectured her and she just threw her head back laughing at me.

“I’m going to throw Hana’s line back at you and say that you want him to be your boyfriend.” I stuck my tongue out at her taking another sip from the heated drink.

“Now girls don’t bicker, why don’t you tell me about this boy that is so interested in you Fumi-chan?” Kyoka asked me and I blushed a hot pink thinking about my new desk mate that I would have to work with for the rest of the year.

“He’s really funny, I’ve always had a soft spot for people or things that make me laugh. One of my favorite characters of all time in animation is Pinky from Pinky And The Brain because of it. It’s the first thing that attracts me to various characters because I grew up watching them. He’s really cute, at least I like to think that is. He’s super chaotic but I think that just adds to the appeal that he gives off to me. Kakeru is such a sweetheart, he’ll wait for me after classes and make sure that I was his lab partner in science. He always knows just the right way to hold my hand so that my entire brain stops overthinking whatever is running through my head at the time. To me that’s what makes him so special. I’ve always wanted a partner that knew just the right buttons to push to get my brain to shut off.” Hana-chan listened to me talk about my friend in my class and I could see the small smile on her face.

“Is there a song that you’re the most excited about playing for the showcase? She’s really outstanding at playing the violin mom!! You should have seen her play earlier.” Tohru encouraged me and I laughed a little bit at her.

“I’m probably most looking forward to Flying Dreams since Mrs. Sakamato said one had to be a duet Kakeru insisted that he do that one with me. I’m grateful for that since it might make me cry. I’m also really excited about the two Hobbit songs I have planned out for my uncle Shi.” Kyoka smiled brightly at me and she gestured to my violin and I laughed a little bit at my family.

“I would love to hear you play something for us if you don’t mind.” I threw my notebook in Uo-chan’s general direction and she caught it.

“Pick something off that list and tell me which one you pick.” She looked at it and smirked a little bit to herself.

“I pick Meticulous Analysis Of History.” I laughed a little bit getting the video out on my phone and putting it on the table so that they could see the lyrics just like it will be performed at the show and remembered that I would have to play this song in two different ways. I kept up with the speed of the jokes and the tempo of the music.

“Wow!! That was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so amazing from a girl your age that isn’t my Tohru.” I smiled brightly at her doing a little mock bow in front of my best friends that I had made yesterday.

“Have you ever seen Pinky And The Brain? Is that why you asked for that one?” I asked Uo-chan and she nodded her head with a small smile.

“When I was younger my dad used to show me the older episodes and I remember him showing me that video. He loves that sort of thing and I still watch them with him to this day. We never used to be close not until I met Tohru.” I smiled softly at her feeling my heart go out to her. I felt so bad that she was going through all the things that she had in her life.

“I thought it was really amazing how you could change the tone depending on which character was talking at the time. From serious to Pinky’s goofiness I thought that you carried that very well. I used to watch them with my mom when I was younger.” I smiled brightly at Tohru as her mother leaned her head against her daughter’s shoulder. 

“I think I’m the only one that has never seen the show but I’ll have to watch it so that I can know what you are all talking about.” Hana-chan said gravely and I just smiled brightly at the young woman next to me.

“I would loan you mine but I only have one copy and I would die if anything happened to it by accident. Tell you what, I’ll bring them this weekend!!” I told her and she hugged me. I stiffened for a second in surprise before hugging her back just as tightly. 

“Hana-chan doesn’t actively seek out touch from just anybody you should consider yourself very lucky.” Kyoko told me and I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit. I loved this little group of people; they were all so different yet so accepting of the fact that I was different.

“I would very much enjoy it if you brought them with you.” I laughed a little bit, smiling softly at my new best friend that I had made.

“Then I will!! My uncle made me a sweater style shirt a few years ago themed to the show and it’s one of my favorite things that I own. I promised Kakeru that I would wear it on our first date next weekend.” Uo-chan poked at my cheek and I batted her hand away trying to make her stop picking on me. 

“Uo-chan don’t pick on her. I think that it’s really very sweet that you and Manabe-kun are getting along so well!! In fact I’m a little bit jealous nobody has ever been interested in me in that way.” I laughed a little bit at Tohru sipping at my cocoa hearing my phone buzz. I discreetly tried to pick it up so that I could look at who had texted seeing that it was Kakeru. 

_ Kakeru: Sorry if I’m bothering you and your girl time milady I just wanted to say that your hair looked beautiful today.  _ I smiled softly, slipping my phone back into my messenger bag before anybody even noticed that I had checked it.

“I’m sure that somebody will be interested in you one day Tohru. You have a lot of really amazing qualities that others are drawn to. I feel like your dream person is out there and you just need to be patient.” Come to think of it you would be really adorable with Kyo… I chuckled to myself at the thought of my tsundere younger cousin and this girl together. It would be just about the cutest thing ever watching all of Kyo’s bad thoughts and feelings melt away.

“I just hope that it isn’t too soon, I don’t want to have to get rid of my Tohru just yet.” Kyoko hugged her daughter and I couldn’t help the little stem of envy that I got. I had always wanted a relationship with my own mother even though I knew it wasn’t possible. She didn’t even remember giving birth to her first child or my dad at all. 

“What time do you need to be back home?” Hana-chan asked me and I smiled a little bit looking at my phone again seeing that it was getting late. 

“I should hit the road, I have to walk a ways to get back home and I did want to stop at the store, make dinner and call my brother before the night is over.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear finishing my hot chocolate.

“Aw that’s too bad, well you’ll be back here eventually so I’ll get to talk with you more then. The sleepover was Hana-chan’s idea so it’s going to be at her house which has more space and extra bedrooms. Did you want to walk with her to the store Tohru?” She nodded, changed out of her shoes and Hana-chan gave me one last hug.

“Your waves are much more pleasant than when I first met you yesterday. I’m glad for it.” I smiled brightly at my best friend pulling back from the hug. I gave one to Uo-chan as well and the yankee just smiled at me.

“Have a safe trip home, we should all trade numbers and start a group chat. We’ll do that tomorrow though you look like you’ve been going through a lot and still need rest.” She told me and I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that in the span of two days I had made such amazing friends.

“That sounds like fun!! I’ve never been a part of a group chat before, usually I just have individual ones with all my cousins.” Probably because Yuki and Kyo would fight over text messages if they had the opportunity to. 

“They’re kinda chaotic if you give your number to me at least you can be a part of ours. Mostly to coordinate the sleepover on Saturday!!” I smiled brightly at Tohru giving her my phone number so that she could write it down in her flip phone.

“I’m so glad that you’re fitting in with everyone so well!! They seem to really enjoy having you around. I’m so glad that I met you Fumi-chan even if it wasn’t under the best of circumstances.” I felt tears prickle at the ends of my eyes wondering what I had done in a past life to deserve the sweetness that was Tohru Honda and her amazing family. 

“Thank you for accepting me into your friend group. I’ve never had friends that weren’t a part of my family before so this is an all new experience for me.” The sun was setting outside and the sky was a beautiful shade of pinks, yellows and oranges.

“It’s really no problem. It must be so hard being away from your dad like you are. I wish I could remember mine aside from my mom’s stories.” I smiled sadly at my best friend pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m sorry for your loss by the way. That must have been so hard for your mother to deal with. I know it was hard for my dad to raise me without my mother by his side. Thankfully I don’t look anything like her. I wouldn’t want to cause him extra pain.” Tohru looked at her apartment door and walked next to me on the way to the store.

“I don’t think that it was painful for him to raise you. If it had been he would have given you to your uncle if it had been too difficult for him. But he didn’t and I think that’s truly incredible. You still managed to find the bright spots in such a dark space. I think that’s a really amazing quality to have in a person.” I rubbed the back of my neck a little bit awkwardly laughing slightly. 

“I don’t think it’s really anything that special. I mean I felt like a huge burden on my uncle. He did everything that he could to keep me happy but in the end it just didn’t work. I couldn’t talk for him. I tried to so many times, but it just wouldn’t work. I know he isn’t angry with me for it but I still feel so guilty. Maybe if I had been a stronger individual it would have worked out better for me…” I played with the hem of my school issued skirt and Tohru just looked at me with tears in her chocolate colored eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault Fumi-chan!! What matters is that you did the best that you could for him. Even if it didn’t work out for you the fact is that you had to want to get better yourself. You had to want to learn to use your words again instead of keeping them locked away. I’ll bet that your uncle was so happy to see you talking again wasn’t he?” I nodded my head smiling softly thinking about the man that had helped raise me as a second father when my dad was too busy.

“He was really happy to see me back to normal for the most part. I don’t know what I did to deserve him in my life but if anybody’s my hero it’s uncle Aya. I might go back to living with him. I haven’t officially decided yet the house where I’m at right now. It's a little bit crowded and his apartment above his shop is just him.” I addressed the difficulties that were at my current living situation.

“I think that you should stay where you’re at for right now just to see how things turn out. I know that your younger cousin just left and it might look to the others like you’re running away. I mean nobody else is leaving right?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face putting my hands behind my head.

“My cousin Kyo, he's thinking about leaving. I think he made a deal with Akito about his future as a member of our family. He’s an outsider kind of like me not truly accepted. He’s seen as not human when he’s probably the most human person I know. He told me last night that he’s thinking about going up into the mountains for training with his master and my sensei, his foster father.” I explained to her a little bit more about my family dynamic and how Kyo and I fit into the mold which is to say not very well at all. 

“Well that’s too bad, maybe he’ll change his mind and decide to stay? Either way I think that you staying behind is probably the best option for you right now. Besides you mentioned that it would be a longer commute if you moved in back with your other uncle right?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Yeah he works out in Akihabara so that would be a lot longer of a commute closer to an hour. It still is not the fastest commute right now but I think you're right. I’ll stay no matter who leaves even if it gets awkward. I’m not that close to my other cousin that lives in the house. I used to be but he shut everyone from Sohma house out once my uncle moved him out of the house when I was seven. I missed him once he left but I love him. He's a good friend to me. He kind of understands what I’m going through.” Tohru smiled softly at me as we walked down the stairs. I smiled brightly at her as we walked through the gate of her apartment complex.

“Akihabara is a ways away from here so I think that your best decision is to stay where you are. Didn’t you say that they painted your room for you?” I nodded my head showing her picks of the bedroom where I was staying.

“They did take all of my favorite cartoons from when I was growing up. So now that it’s officially decided I think that they deserve a meal that isn’t taken out since the only one who can cook is Kyo but he’s kinda belligerent to actually do it.” I joked and Tohru laughed a little bit at the state of my house.

“I’m really glad to have met you yesterday Fumi-chan. I’m so happy that things are working out for you. You and Manabe-kun are really cute together.” I blushed a little bit at the mention of the boy that pretty much stole all of my attention.

“I mean I’m happy that he’s still even interested in me despite knowing how messed up my family life is. He is kind of the same way so he gets that part of my life. I don’t know if it's kind of hard to explain how happy he makes me. He’s different like me and I think he’s just one of those things that I never even knew that I needed. They say that sometimes love comes when you least expect it and I think I’m already half in love with him. I can’t wait to spend more time with him tomorrow. My uncle told me when I was little, the writer uncle, the one I’m staying with right now, told me that the actual love that’s worth fighting for is the kind where they are the first thought you have in the morning and the last before you fall asleep.” I explained to Tohru the way that my uncle had described the feeling of true love when I was a little girl. I had always wanted that type of feeling and now I thought that I had it.

“Oh my god that’s soo sweet!! I’m getting emotional just hang on give me a second.” She held up her finger and I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at her.

“I can’t believe that you are so lucky Fumi-chan!! If I had a love like that I wouldn’t let him out of my sight.” She joked and I smiled brightly at her tightening my bag around my shoulder and got out my phone. I flipped through it looking for a picture of me with my uncle.

“That’s my uncle Shigure and that’s my uncle Ayame.” I pointed to each of them and she smiled softly.

“They obviously love you more than anything. That’s a really incredible thing to have people love you so unconditionally. I have that love with my grandpa he always used to watch The Aristocats with me when I was a little girl. Have you ever seen it?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“Nope I haven’t seen that one, I didn’t watch a whole lot of Disney cartoons mostly because my dad didn’t want me to have unrealistic expectations for love. I’ll have to watch more now that I have the free will so you can show me that one. I’ve seen all the Miyazaki movies though!! My dad insisted on that one and the last one I watched was Princess Mononoke when he deemed me old enough.” My best friend listened to me talk about the films that I used to watch attentively. She was so different from anybody that I had ever met in my entire life. I loved that about her how she could make people think that she was oblivious but in reality she had known more of life's truths than most people our age.

“It’s really cute!! I love cats. I just think that they are the cutest things. If I could be a year of the cat in the Chinese zodiac I would find a way. What year are you?” She asked me and I couldn’t help the little bubble of laughter that left me wondering what Kyo would think if he knew he had a little fangirl. 

“I’m a year of the Rabbit, I’m not complaining about it. I have a lot of qualities of that zodiac animal. Was Aristocats your favorite Disney movie? I really loved Kiki’s Delivery Service when I was a little girl. It's still one of my favorites to this very day. I’ve watched it way too many times but my dad will still enjoy it with me.” I played with the end of my dark colored hair seeing the store and I heard the bell sound above my head when I opened my door.

“It was!! I watched a lot of the classics and I’ve barely seen any of the new ones. My favorite song is When You Wish Upon A Star.” I smiled softly at the girl across from me grabbing me and her own individual baskets.

“I can totally see that. I’ve always had a soft spot for the songs that the Sherman Brothers wrote. They did Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins and that’s just scratching the surface. I’ve watched those two movies a bunch. It was the first Disney movie I’d ever seen. My uncle Shigure showed me Poppins probably when I was four. I think I was sick and he was babysitting me and he had picked it out for me claiming that it wasn’t like the others. I picked Jolly Holiday for him I hope that he enjoys it.” Tohru went through the produce aisle and I saw delicious looking fruit as I grabbed some more apples and oranges for snacks.

“I’ve heard of them before they are incredible songwriters!! Are they your heroes?” I nodded my head with a small laugh.

“I think if I were to ever have a hero it would be Rob Paulsen though. He’s a voice actor, and has been doing it since the 80’s. He played Pinky in Pinky And The Brain.” I gave a little brief explanation for my favorite voice actor and the remarkable thing was that just like Kakeru she was intrigued and wanted to know more. 

“Oh really? I don't know much of anything about voice acting really at all. But I’m happy to listen if that’s your main special interest!!” She encouraged me and I laughed a little bit at her. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“It is and I know a lot about it from just years of me being genuinely fascinated by the craft. I kind of just know a lot of random facts about who’s played what for English cartoons because that’s how I became fully bilingual.” I informed her and she listened to me with wide brown eyes. I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit at her as I grabbed the bag of rice that was in front of me. I thought for a second before grabbing a second one because I loved rice a lot. 

“I haven’t ever met anybody that was actually fluent in English before!! Most of the people that I know struggle with the language and learning the rules.” I laughed a little bit playing with the ends of my hair.

“Well I mean I’ve always been kinda different from most people. I love to learn new things especially if I’m passionate about the topic of conversation.” I shrugged my shoulders, continuing to pick up the foods that I would need to cook dinner for the night. I wanted to do something slightly healthier and saw that fish was on sale.

“Making fish? That’s always a good choice!!” Tohru picked up some with me and I smiled softly at her.

“I think it's Kyo’s favorite and I feel like making something that he’d enjoy.” I picked up the last of my grocery’s and went to the front of the store. I paid for all of my food and waved goodbye to Tohru. I got out my phone going through my contacts and found my brother. I waited for him to pick up his phone for a few seconds until I heard the overly enthusiastic German accent on the other end of the phone.

_ “‘Ello Sissy!!”  _ I sighed a little bit, happily missing the sound of my brother’s voice since I wasn’t hearing it yammering at me all hours of the day.

“Hi Momiji!! I’ve missed the sound of your voice these last few months. I’m sorry that I haven’t really been reaching out. I thought that you were disappointed in me. All those years I spent training with sensei and they all amounted to nothing.” I ran my fingers through the strands of black hair that were closest to the base as a nervous habit.

_ “I was never mad at you sissy I might have not understood a whole lot of what was going on but I wasn’t mad. I mostly was just annoyed with myself for not being able to help. What happened?”  _ I sighed a little bit, my hand tightening around the groceries that were in my hand. It was times like this that I wished Kakeru was next to me to keep me grounded.

“Akito told me that he wanted to meet with me. It was the first time that he had ever requested to see me. I didn’t know what he wanted with me but at first I was just happy. I thought that maybe he had rethought his ways and would finally let me and Kyo join the family no bargains no nothing. But I was wrong. It started off fine you know, he asked me about how school was going, if I was making friends that kind of thing. Then all of the sudden it was like he just snapped and started screaming at me. He called me a whore, a slut and the daughter of a prostitute. All of these things I’ve heard before from the older women on the compound but what hurt the most was when he told me that dad regretted me ever being born. That my very existence hurt him. Then I got this flashback of all the time that I spent with uncle Aya growing up. I realized that he was right and that my dad didn’t want me at all.” I explained what had happened with my confrontation with the head of the family. 

_ “But Fumi-chan Hatori loves you!! He always has that’s not true at all, that’s just what Akito told you to be true. You know that your papa loves you more than anything in the world. He could never hate you, that's ridiculous and a bold faced lie. I’m still sorry that you had to hear that other stuff though. I know that you’ve heard it a bunch with the older ladies and that they were super strict on you. What you ate, how you dressed, the way you acted. It seemed like it was just never ending criteria for things that you needed to do for their sake.”  _ Maybe I hadn’t been giving my baby brother enough credit really. He was more mature than I could have ever imagined him being. It almost made me wonder where he got it from because it certainly wasn’t from me. 

“I know how stupid it was to believe Akito now but in that moment it was like suddenly everything clicked. I miss you little bro. But I can’t come home. Akito banished me as a member of the zodiac and a member of the family. I can’t go back on Sohma property. I’m not sure how I’m going to get my black belt now.” I clenched my other fist not believing that this was actually happening. I didn’t know when I would get to hug my little brother or my dad again. Something that I had gotten so used to doing everyday especially with Momiji since he would just cling to me.

_ “Oh no sissy I’m so sorry about that!! You were so excited to finally get that belt. It’s not fair that you spent so much of your time working towards a goal only to find out that you can’t fully get there.”  _ Momiji had always supported me with a smile on his face and an overly enthusiastic cheer. Whenever I did a competition he was always the loudest one there even after my dad had tried to keep him contained.

“It’s alright at the very least I’m finally free. Nobody can stop me now from anything that I want to be doing. Maybe sensei will cut me some slack and give me my belt at uncle Shi’s house. Lin left this morning…” I reminded him in case he had been gone the day before when she had gotten the news that she wouldn’t be able to stay with her dad anymore.

_ “I know I was there when Hari gave her the news. She took it surprisingly well. I think that this will be good for her. She’s been sick for so long and I want her to have a normal life with me and Haru. Are you going to miss her though?”  _ I nodded my head crossing the street feeling the wind blowing through my long hair.

“I will miss her but I do know that this is for the best to get her healed and better. I don’t like it. She promised that she would still be here for my birthday in a few months. But then all of the sudden just out of nowhere she has to go away without really saying goodbye to me. Kyo’s thinking about leaving too. I think he made some sort of deal with Akito. He seems to be challenging Yuki more than usual.” My brother clicked his tongue and I could almost see the sorrowful look that he would be giving my best friend if he were here.

_ “Poor Kyo, I think it had something to do with his future. You know, the cage.”  _ I shuddered just thinking about Kyo being locked in that cage treated like he was some kind of freak of nature.

“You just might be right. I can’t even imagine him being locked up and treated like some sort of monster. He isn’t a monster. He’s the most humanlike person that I know. I wish he could see that himself. Enough about tragic talk. You wanted to hear about Kakeru? First of all how do you even know about that.” I couldn’t help but smile thinking about the boy that had stolen most of my thoughts and occupied a lot of my time.

_ “A little birdie named uncle Aya told me!!”  _ I sighed because of course I told the chattiest member of my family who loves bragging about me to my dad and my brother.

“Of course it was him. I tell him this one simple thing and he just goes bonkers. I don’t really get it. His name is Kakeru Manabe. I met him when he sat down next to me in my homeroom class. He’s my desk buddy. He’s really amazing. He’s so sweet, kind and funny. He reminds me a lot of uncle Ayame mostly with his sense of humor. Kakeru is just amazing Momi. He keeps me calmed down. Just the type of person that I had always dreamed about finding when I was a little girl. You know how we used to talk about dream partners when we were kids? That was the type of person that I had always described. He’s so good to me Momiji I’m really truly happy with him by my side.” I talked about my love interest and heard my brother’s squeal of joy from the other end of the phone. 

_ “Fumi-chan!! That’s so exciting I’m so happy for you!! If anybody deserves the love of another it’s you. I remember those talks and hoped that your person was out there waiting for you to be happy together. Do you ever miss being a child like that? I kind of do sometimes. It just seemed like everything was easier back then. We didn’t have to worry about much of anything.”  _ I smiled sadly at the picture that my brother was painting.

“Sometimes I do miss those days but getting older hasn’t been really all that bad. I still have everyone in my life that I could ever need. As long as I can still laugh and have a good time I’ll be alright. What about yourself? How are you doing? How’s school going on your end of things?” I started up the hill to the house taking a deep breath and smelling the oxygen and fresh air that was coming from the trees.

_ “It’s going good!! I’m still taking as many violin classes in my free time as Akito will allow me so that is getting better everyday. School is school you know? It’s fun and I make friends and that’s about it really. I think most of my classmates find me annoying.”  _ I smiled softly, shaking my head at the fact that Momiji thought that people thought he was annoying. 

“I don’t think that’s true little brother if they did then they wouldn’t be your friends. I’m glad that you’ve kept with violin. I know firsthand how difficult the instrument can be. I have my first date planned for next weekend. Apparently it’s going to be arcade and katsudon since Kakeru considers it a crime that I’ve never had before. Stupid old bitches at Sohma house always concerned about my weight.” My brother laughed at my ranting since he knew how irritated I would get about the way that things were back in the compound.

_ “My sister is going on her first date, do you need any help picking out an outfit?”  _ I chuckled a little bit, shaking my hair out.

“I think I’ve got that part of the day under control but thanks for offering Momi. Oh!! My school is doing a showcase for the music side of things anyways. I’m inviting you and dad to come and see me perform.” I explained to him a little bit about my morning at school and I heard his gasp of shock.

_ “You’re performing?! You never perform in front of an audience of more than one person!! Fumi-chan I’m so proud of you!! That’s a great improvement, did your boyfriend talk you into it?”  _ I blushed a hot pink thinking about how Kakeru had talked me into doing the showcase with him.

“Yeah he did talk me into it. At first you know I was terrified because I’m inviting uncle Aya and what if I mess up and all those years of hard work for him go to waste? I don’t want to disappoint him but then I realized that I’ve been doing this since I was four and haven’t made a mistake in the last three years. I want to make him proud of me and the way that we’ve always communicated was through music. I’ll text you the music that I’m playing.” I sent him a pick that I had taken of my notebook this morning in case I had lost it. 

_ “You’re doing Roses Of Success?! Uncle Aya will love that surely!! I can’t wait to tell Hari he’ll be so excited to get to see you on that stage. Do you know what you’re going to wear yet?”  _ I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“I’m sure that uncle Aya will want to make me something new. Knowing him it will probably be red or yellow he always claimed that those were my colors. But yes I am doing Roses Of Success!! I can’t wait to see everybody there just for a fun night.” I played with the end of my Totoro hanging figurine. I wanted to try and find a Jiji one next since he was my favorite sidekick of Miyazaki’s. 

_ “I’m sure he’ll make something absolutely beautiful for you!! I think that you look best in blue since that brings out your eyes but that’s just me. Is there anything else that you wanted to tell me? It’s getting close to dinnertime and I should really get to work or else Hari won’t eat.”  _ I had left behind my recipe book for my baby brother so that he would still be able to make food for our dad since he so often forgot to eat.

“Let me think I think that was about it. I’m almost home myself so I’ll let you go for now. I’ll call you and talk more when I have more to gossip with you about. Tschüss!!” Momiji had taught me German so that I could understand him when he said little phrases in the language. My favorite just happened to be the word Tschüss which meant later. 

_ “Okay sissy!! I love you, tschüss!!”  _ I bid him the same farewell and headed up the last little fraction of the hill and saw the house. I saw Yuki coming up the path from the other side and he caught up to me.

“You went grocery shopping? I could have carried your bags for you.” He took the bag from me before I could protest. Not that I knew I could because he the stubborn type.

“It wasn’t a whole lot I just wanted to make something for dinner to thank you guys for letting me come live with you. I used to have to make dinner for my dad all the time because he would forget to eat and I would have to take care of it. How was your day today Yuki? Any better?” I asked him and he just laughed a little bit at me.

“You don’t need to thank us for letting you come live with us Fumiko. We would have done it anyways your family and you were in trouble. Making fish? Do you want any help?” I shook my head chuckling a little bit, remembering how utterly useless Yuki was in the kitchen.

“Not from you I don’t. I remember you mister can’t even chop a vegetable without cutting yourself. It won’t take me too long at all really. It's just rice, salmon, some things for miso, some fresh fruit that I couldn’t help myself from buying, iced tea and CC lemon soda for myself.” I shrugged a little bit and my cousin smiled softly at me. Not the usual faked Yuki smile when he was putting on a show but the genuine one.

“I’m glad that you’ve remained the same girl that you were when you were younger. I was a little bit worried when you got here that once you got your voice back you would act differently.” I smiled softly at Yuki playing with the end of my necklace.

“I mean I was still me deep down it was just I was suffering through a lot of pain. I’m sort of glad too. I thought that going through something that traumatic as losing my otter form would make me really upset but I’m free. I feel like I can do whatever I want to now!!” I spun around in a circle with a bright laugh.

“I’m glad that you were able to find your way to the other side. Lin left this morning. It wasn't fun for me since I was still home. I’m going to miss her rolling around begging people for candy.” I smiled sadly as I walked up the steps to the house. I couldn’t believe that she was just gone from my life for the time being. It was harder for me to think about but she was doing this so that she could get better. 

“How was your day at school today? Any better than yesterday?” I asked him and he held the front door open for me.

“It was actually a lot better than yesterday thankfully. Yesterday was exhausting but I got less confessions today. What about you? Somehow you seem even more floaty today than you did yesterday. Did something happen with that boy you told me about?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“I’m meeting up with him tomorrow after school to do a project for English so I might not be home until it’s done which might take some time. I also planned a first date with him next Saturday.” Yuki listened to me talk about my crush at school and I could see the small smile on his face.

“That’s great, I'm really truly happy for you Fumiko. I’m glad that you’ve come to live with us and that you got your freedom.” He put the bag of groceries down on the counter and I rolled up my sleeves.

“Well these dishes aren’t going to do themselves.” I turned on the water and started scrubbing at the nasty dishes. It made me wonder how they dirtied up so many when nobody cooked but Kyo when he felt like it. It took me a while to work my way through all of them but once I did I found that they did indeed have a rice cooker which would make this next part of food preparation super easy. I went into the television room looking for the movie that I wanted to watch in the background while I cooked, finding the animated film and putting it into the DVD player. I felt tears come to my eyes as I saw the nostalgic classic animated intro and went back into the kitchen to prepare the veggies. I was roasting carrots and potatoes since that was my favorite way to make them with fish. I got out the salmon fillets looking for the grill that I knew was in here somewhere. I flipped it on and saw the grill start to heat up. I watched as Tigger began to bounce his way through the Hundred Acre Wood and this wave of childhood nostalgia came over me and suddenly I was crying and I couldn’t stop it.

“My, my what do we have here it certainly smells delicious.” I heard my uncle come into the room and he saw me crying.

“Is my favorite niece crying? Why are you crying hun? Oh now I get it…” He trailed off after turning towards the television.

“Crying over your childhood memories?” I nodded my head with a watery smile on my face. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail getting it out of my face.

“I guess I am, does that make me a baby?” I asked him and he shook his head getting out some iced tea from the fridge and a nectarine that I had picked out.

“It doesn’t make you a baby, you didn’t have much of a childhood my dear. You struggled a lot and I just did the best that I could bringing Mary Poppins into your life. I know that your dad was strict with which Disney films you watched but I couldn’t not have you watch that one. It’s too iconic. I went to go and see it with him when we were little kids.” I listened to my uncle talk about when they went to the re-release. 

“One of the few happy childhood memories that I have revolve around Tigger. I think that I had a pretty amazing childhood given the circumstances I was born under. No mother, constantly having the older women at the house looking over my shoulder. It could have been way more picturesque but I feel like even though I went through a lot of trauma it was mine. The days that I spent with you or uncle Ayame were good days. They were the ones where I felt like I could be a real kid. Where I could be happy because I had people that loved and cared about me. I spent my childhood watching Miyazaki films, Muppet movies, Secret of Nimh, The Hobbit movies and this movie so I think I had a pretty good one in that regard.” I reminded him and the oven beeps as I put breadcrumbs that I found in the pantry on top of the salmon fillets. 

“I tried to give you the best childhood that I could showing you things that I grew up with. I did the same thing with Lin though she was more begrudging than you were if it wasn’t Disney.” I laughed a little bit at my best friend’s antics and her personal bias towards film.

“I’ll be right back. I'm going to go and get some more comfortable clothes on. I’ve worn this uniform for way too many hours today.” I told him running up the stairs to my room and going into my pajama drawer finding my Gonzo pajamas. I folded up my uniform carefully and sighed as the soft faded fabric of my favorite pair of pajamas that I had for the last four years and still fitted me perfectly. My dad had gotten these for me from the Disney store when he saw them as he was shopping for me for Christmas. I always had a love for the cannonball obsessed goofball ever since I was a little girl. He showed me that being different was okay and that I didn’t need to really worry about it.

“Ah that’s so much better…” I sighed a little bit as I went back down the stairs seeing that my uncle was looking for a movie.

“How did I know that you were going to come out in the Gonzo? I’m looking for that movie right now. Want to help me?” He asked me and I nodded my head enthusiastically. I got down next to him looking through the multitude of dvds that were there finding the original Muppet movie easily.

“There you go, you can change it if you want to. I’ll watch this one tomorrow or the day after. By the way I’m having a sleepover on Saturday so I won’t be here. I’m bringing my copy of Skeleton Twins. My new girl friends wanted to get to know me better.” I explained the situation of the weekend to my uncle and he just smiled softly at me.

“Finally having an all girls night are you?” I rolled my eyes scoffing lightly at him being his usual perverted self. Something would never change no matter how good of a parent he was for Lin.

“Keep your pervert thoughts away from me!!” I waved my arms around and he just laughed at me joyfully.

“In all seriousness I’m proud of you Fumi-chan. I didn’t think that you could come out the same way that you came in after what happened to you.” I smiled softly flattening my shorts that were stripped. 

“You know it’s funny coming up to the house I ran into Yuki and he told me the exact same thing. I don’t really know how to respond to it to be perfectly honest with you. I feel like I’m the same girl but I’m also different at the same time. I’ve always been mature for my age at least that’s what dad always told me. It is kind of exhausting and I’m still going to have those mental scars. I’ll probably never be able to look at Akito the same way ever again.” I shivered unconsciously and my uncle came to sit down next to me with a small smile on his face. 

“I know that Yuki really admires you, he just doesn’t go about saying his emotions in the best of ways. I’m glad that you’re here to stay with us even if it’s just for the time being. If you decide that you want to go to Ayame’s later on down the line then I’ll support you.” I smiled softly, shaking my head at him.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to stay here until the end of high school. I think that this is where I need to be at the moment. Besides I can still be happy here and the commute from Akihabara to here is an actual living nightmare. I really don’t want to change schools because I finally have friends at this one.” He poked at my cheek gently and I knew that there was a joke coming my direction.

“And you have a love interest at this one…” He teased and I stuck my tongue out at him as the rice beeped and I went to toss it around a bit. I cut the tofu for the miso so that I could finish the soup that I had started earlier.

“Please don’t make it sound like one of your trashy novels uncle. I really like Kakeru it’s kind of hard to describe. I’m going to work with him on a project tomorrow after school for homeroom. We’re taking the first chapter of Percy Jackson and making it into a song. It should be a bit of a challenge but it doesn’t need to be perfect. I also have a showcase I wanted to tell you about!!” I couldn’t wait to tell my uncle about this part of my day.

“What’s this about a showcase?” He quirked up a curious eyebrow as I stirred the pot of soup in front of me.

“It’s for my music class, we had to take a group of nine songs from our childhood or now and the best of us are going to perform them. She already asked me to perform!! Kakeru talked me into it though I was considering turning her down. I really don’t want to let uncle Aya down and mess up. But I think that it’ll all come out all right since all of these songs are in my muscle memory. I’m not telling you what yours are but you are there!!” I waved my ladle at him daring him to counter me and I could see the little smirk there that told me he would get it out of me somehow.

“I highly doubt that you could do anything to let Aya down. He’s really proud of you for all that you’ve become with your skills on that violin. Are the two songs from The Hobbit under mine?” He asked me and I rolled my eyes knowing that he was too good for this game. If I told him and just confessed to what I was planning he wouldn’t care. 

“Alright fine, you win I’ll tell you what’s under yours. Yes it’s The Greatest Adventure and In The Valley Ha but I also have A Man Has Dreams from Mary Poppins.” I played with the ends of my hair and my uncle smiled softly at me.

“I can’t wait to see them then, I’ll film them so that Lin can see them. She always did love watching you perform. I’m surprised that you were this easy to placate into doing a full show. Was there a date bargain?” He asked me and I blushed a hot pink nearly dropping the ladle on the floor in my flustered state.

“Well there is a date planned but it’s not part of the bargain. He just was willing to talk me into performing. Plus he’s doing one duet with me, it’s Flying Dreams for uncle Aya.” I mentioned to him and I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Oh he’ll just love that!! I’m sure that he’ll want to make you an entirely new dress for the showcase. I’m happy for you Fumi-chan I know that you can do it if you just put your mind to it. You’ve just got to get out of your own head. Remember my laundry analogy that I made when you were younger?” I nodded my head with a happy smile on my face. His “laundry analogy” had been one of the most helpful things when I was growing up. The oven beeped and I got out a pair of oven mats to get the food out.

“And gently down you’ve got it sweetheart.” I rolled my eyes at my uncle because with some help he was just sitting over there drinking his iced tea.

“Some help you were you lazy ass. I’ll go and get the boys this food is done.” I went up the stairs to knock on Yuki’s room.

“The food is ready Yuki!!” I told him after knocking and he smiled softly at me closing his door behind him.

“It sure smells delicious, I think that the stupid cat is on the rooftop again.” I went up the ladder and indeed found my favorite cousin up there just chilling and looking out at the stars.

“Hey Kyon-kitchi you hungry? I made dinner tonight.” I asked him and he smiled a little bit at me.

“I told you to stop it with that stupid nickname it’s annoying as hell.” I laughed at him as he took my hand that I offered.

“Not going to happen anytime soon you’re too fun to get a rise out of. I made salmon fillets they’re covered in panko breadcrumbs that were in the pantry.” I told him and he cheered a little bit going down the stairs.

“Nice!! Now I’m suddenly really hungry, what else did you do?” He held the door open for me and I laughed a little bit at him.

“Well there’s a lot of rice for me mostly because I love it. There is also miso soup, roasted carrots, unions and potatoes that I cooked the salmon on and fruit for dessert.” I listed off all the courses and I heard the start of the Muppet Movie downstairs.

“Are we watching the first movie?” Kyo asked, peeking his head in curiously and I nodded my head, putting the food that I could onto the table so that everyone could reach what they wanted.

“It’s delicious Fumi-chan!!” My uncle encouraged me and I couldn’t help but smile and rub the back of my neck a little bit. 

“It really is Fumiko I’m surprised that you were able to make this all by yourself. It seems that you have gotten a lot better at cooking over the years.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face. 

“I mean I had to learn how to cook in order to make my dad eat. He wouldn’t be able to cook water without me or Momiji around so we had to do all the cooking. My brother was the family baker.” I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck. Kyo leaned his head against my shoulder with a small smile on his face.

“So Hatori is useless at something the hell knew.” I laughed at my cousin taking my own bowl of rice, fish and veggies.

“He is entirely useless at cooking but I love my dad all the same.” I realized that I had yet to text Kakeru back yet and nearly flailed for my phone.

_ Me: I am so sorry!! Oh my god I can’t believe I forgot to text you back!! I was hanging out with Tohru, Hana and Uo when you texted and then I made dinner and called my brother. I’m so sorry!! _

“Is everything okay there Fumiko?” Kyo questioned as I came back to the table and rubbed the back of my neck a little bit awkwardly.

“Oh yeah it’s all fine. I forgot to text Kakeru back earlier when he messaged me. I feel like a total bitch.” My uncle just smiled softly at me through his chuckling, shaking his head at me.

“You’re not a bitch just tell him that you were busy and got distracted. You did do a good job on this food though I’m impressed.” I smiled softly at Kyo as I turned my attention to the movie that we were watching for the night. This movie always brought me back to my happier place. I refilled my bowl with just a little bit more rice and veggies and stirred in my soy sauce.

“I talked to master by the way he told me that he would be able to do your black belt ceremony here. That it wouldn’t matter to him either way and that you deserve it.” He told me and I cheered a little bit.

“Yes!! I didn’t think that I would get it despite how hard I worked to get that belt. I’m excited to get my ceremony.” Yuki smiled softly at me and scooted next to me bumping my shoulder with his.

“Are you going to officially stay or are you going to go and live with my brother?” He asked me and I hummed in thought for a second.

“I’m staying here!! I’ve decided that I don’t want to burden uncle Aya more than I already have in the last few months.” I looked down at my feet for a second before reaching behind me grabbing my CC lemon soda. I felt my phone buzz next to me and saw that Kakeru had texted me back.

_ Kakeru: It’s alright milady I figured that you were busy with things. I was a little bit worried about you but I knew you’d text me once you had a spare moment. I was wondering about the showcase, did you want to perform anything with me? I had some ideas!!  _ I looked at his list smiling a little bit when I saw one of my favorite childhood songs.

_ Me: I’d love to!! I grew up with The Wiggles actually I used to watch them with my brother all the time when I was younger. So I would love to do Six Months In A Leaky Boat and Taba Naba with you!! I can actually play those songs on the violin too so we’re good on that front as well. _

“I’m glad that you’ve decided to stay here even though it will be a bit strange. I’m looking forward to it.” I smiled softly at Yuki pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. I focused my attention on the movie that was in front of me.

“What’s this about a showcase?” Kyo asked me and I turned my head to my best friend smiling brightly.

“My new music teacher is starting a showcase where all of her best students get to show off their skills. She asked me to be a part of it and Kakeru as well so we’re just going through each others lists and deciding what our duet is going to be since we both picked childhood songs. He already told me that he wanted to do Flying Dreams with me from Secret Of Nimh. We’re doing Wiggles songs together for his.” I explained what I was talking to my new friend about. I could see Kyo’s small smile that was on his face and I knew that he was proud of me.

“I won’t miss it for anything in the world. I know that you’ll do great.” He told me simply and my heart lightened as I gave my best friend a thumbs up.

“I’ll do my best to not let you down!!” I leaned my head back looking up at the ceiling for a second but just started to softly smile. My life was so different now that I had finally found some place where I would belong. I didn’t need a huge family but I was so grateful for the one that I had.

“You’ve been playing the violin for a very long time Fumiko. I sincerely doubt that you’ll run into any problems playing it right now.” Yuki complimented and I smiled softly at him. I resituated myself so that I could see the television easier. We finished up the movie and I went upstairs to retire to my bedroom going through the text that I had gotten from Kakeru.

_ Kakeru: :0 You were a Wiggles girl too?! Where have you been all my life?!  _ I laughed at him and his use of emoticons. 

_ Me: I’ve been stuck in hell for the last fourteen years. I’m kidding I probably was meant to meet you at the time that I did. I’m happy that I met you when I did. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier meeting somebody.  _ I said honestly curling my arms around my dog, snake and seahorse stuffed animals for the night. I would probably keep these three just because they have such an emotional reaction from me. These were from my family that I had chosen for myself and quite frankly I think that I deserved to keep them. I put my phone in it’s charger so that it could charge for the night quickly falling asleep. 


	2. Chapter Two

I grabbed my phone sliding my thumb to make my alarm stop playing Dear Theodosia from Hamilton. I went through my phone seeing that Kakeru had texted me while I was asleep.

_ Kakeru: ><God how are you so freaking cute?! That’s it, you’re officially perfect for me.  _ I blushed a bright pink hiding under the blankets.

_ Me: Well I’m officially flustered as hell thanks for that. I was just being honest about my feelings and emotions. I’m sorry if that was embarrassing.  _ I forced myself to roll out of bed so that I could get ready for school today. I brushed my hair out long again after my shower again knowing that Kakeru would be happy with it.

“Good morning Fumi-chan!!” My uncle yawned in the middle of his sentence and I couldn’t help but giggle at him. 

“Did you have another late night uncle?” I asked him grabbing an apple and cutting it into slices as well as a hunk of French bread that I bought yesterday.

“Mei has been really on my case about my next deadline so it was a bit of a late night. I’ll take a nap while you kids are at school though. You’re up early, usually the boys aren’t up until they absolutely have to be.” I laughed a little bit since that was typical of them and they were naturally lazy boys whenever they got the chance.

“Well I wish you the best of luck on your chapter. I'll be back later today. I have a project that me and Kakeru are working on together for English class.” I mentioned taking my messenger bag and getting my shoes on for another day of school.

“Have a nice day!!” I called out to him and he just laughed at me giving me a mock salute as I took the steps two at a time. I pulled out my noise canceling headphones and went through my phone looking for music to walk to today. I put on The Hobbit soundtrack and walked down the road taking a deep breath of the fresh air. It was turning out to be another beautiful day which I was thankful for. It wasn’t that I hated the rain, it was just that it was a little bit depressing. It did give me an excuse to use my Beast Boy umbrella though. I hummed the music that I was listening to on this lazy morning walk to school. I liked leaving early because it meant that I could take my time to get to where I needed to be. I preferred not to be rushed so being able to listen to music calmed me down for the day ahead of me. I didn’t even know that Kakeru was next to me until I felt an arm around my shoulders.

“I called out to you milady but you didn’t seem to hear me. Did you have your music too loud?” He asked me and I blushed a bright pink at the fact that I was caught listening to my favorite music.

“N-No they are noise canceling. They help me tune out the sounds around me. My dad got them for me when I was younger and I first got diagnosed with aspergers. He gave me these black and let me paint them however I wanted. At the time I had just discovered Invader Zim. I was ten and my dad helped me come up with the idea to paint them with Gir on one side and Zim on the other side.” I took them off fully so that I could show them to the boy that caught my interest and he looked at them in awe.

“Those are so cool!! I can’t get over how amazing you are at so many things!! It’s incredible I’ve never met anybody with so many hobbies.” He praised me and I blushed a hot pink playing with my fingers a little bit.

“I’m not that amazing, it's just art. I’m really good at arts and school. That’s about it really I’m not necessarily good with people. If you don’t talk to me then I won’t talk to you it’s that simple.” I put my headphones around my neck just for comfort and grounding and I could see the slight sparkle of mischief in Kakeru’s eyes.

“Well if you don’t think that the things you do are amazing I’m just going to have to stick around and convince you otherwise.” He joked and I blushed a bright pink playing with my index fingers and hoping that he was serious. 

“I’d like that very much…” I trailed off with a blush on my cheeks and I saw the bright smile on my friend’s face.

“You would?” I nodded my head pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. I had never been this nervous around another boy in my entire life before today. Looking at Kakeru, he was just so different from the last kind of person that I was expecting to come into my life and change it forever.

“I really would love it if you stuck around Kakeru. I’m sorry if this is being super forward but I can’t explain the way that I feel. I feel this sort of pull towards you that I don’t officially understand. The only word that I can think of is sort of cheesy and that’s true love…” I blushed a hot pink. I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. I sounded absolutely insane. I had only known Kakeru for a total of two days.

“Milady breathe with me… you’re having one of your little sensory overloads… follow the sound of my voice and follow my breathing. In through the nose hold for seven and then out for eight. You’ve got it, you’re doing so good Fumi-chan I’m so proud of you. Oh milady of course I feel the same pull towards you. I thought that it was just me officially losing my mind. Come here.” He opened his arms to me and I quickly went to him as he wrapped me up in the warmest and safest hug that I had ever felt from somebody that wasn’t uncle Aya.

“That’s it, that’s my girl. I’m getting pretty good at these, what do you think?” He asked me with a little sparkle of mischief in those brown eyes that I was always drawn into.

“I-I would say so yes. I-I’m sorry for being such a pain in the neck and causing you all this trouble.” I apologized and he just pressed his forehead against mine, those brown eyes boring into mine with a small smile on his face.

“Don’t you dare apologize to me, not about things that aren’t your fault like this. Come on we have nearly half an hour before the first bell rings and you need a hot chocolate my treat?” He offered to take my hand and lead me towards a small cafe.

“You don’t need to do this Kakeru…” I protested and he just pressed a gentle finger to my lips with a smile there.

“I know that I don’t need to do this but it’s rather cold out there this morning and you look like you need one. I only want to help you make it through the day.” He paid for my drink and the warmth of the cup in my hands was enough to calm me down.

“Who taught you to speak so politely?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit entwining my fingers with his as we continued our walk to school. 

“My uncle did, uncle Ayame always insisted that I speak proper to everyone even the people that I didn’t like. He didn’t want me to be the type of person that ever spoke ill of anyone so he insisted that I never speak cruelly about those that hurt me. He said that if you can brush that sort of thing off of your shoulder then you’ll do great things. Sadly when the moment came down to it I wasn’t strong enough and the words got to me.” I looked down at my drink and Kakeru squeezed my hand encouragingly.

“That wasn’t your fault Fumi-chan. Even the strongest person has their breaking point and you just happened to hit yours. The head of your family insinuated that your father never wanted you around and you had enough of what you thought was evidence to believe him. I often thought that I was unwanted by my mother so I totally got it. It’s what happens when a parent totally refuses to acknowledge the fact that you exist like your mother did with you. You always feel like you’re not enough but I’m here to tell you that you’re enough for me. Am I enough for you?” I nodded my head through the tears that were streaming down my face.

“Yes!! You’re more than enough for me Kakeru Manabe. You’re everything that I could have ever thought about wanting ever since I was a little girl. If you ever meet my brother he can attest to that. I know that all of this kind of happened quickly but I still want to get to know you. I’m sorry if I’m being clingy.” I apologized trying to get my hand that he was holding free but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist.

“If you’re wanting to be clingy that’s okay. All of your emotions and feelings are valid and okay. You shouldn’t apologize for something that is perfectly natural. Do you know how many couples out there are practically hanging off of each other in public? So it’s perfectly natural to want to hold my hand. Look at your hand for a second.” He told me and I watched how perfectly our fingers laced together. It was like two puzzle pieces that were meant to fit together.

“It fits…” I muttered mostly to myself and he took my hand that he was holding pressing a kiss to the back of my knuckle.

“Not only does it fit baby but it fits perfectly. I never thought that I’d be lucky enough to find the perfect person for me so young but you’re just so beautiful. Inside and outside.” He told me and I couldn’t help the flaming blush that stained my cheeks as I averted my gaze. 

“I never thought that anybody would accept the parts of me that I hated. I thought that after what happened with Akito for months about how awful I was. How weak I was. It wasn’t until you came barreling into my life at mock twenty that I realized how truly wrong I was. My uncle Aya sometimes reads me just quotes about love that he finds online. He’s an extremely romantic type of soul. He told me when I was little that I love you means that I accept you for the person that you are, and I don’t wish to change you into something else. It means that I don’t expect perfection from you, just as long as you don’t expect it from me. I love you means that I will love you and stand by you even through the worst of times. It means loving you when you’re in a bad mood or too tired to do the things that I want to do. It means loving you when you’re down, not just when you’re fun to be with. It never made any sense until I met you. I wasn’t really born around this idea of love. My dad kind of did everything in his power to make sure that I wasn’t born that way. He didn’t want for me to be infatuated with this idea that all my problems will be solved by a prince charming coming up on a white horse. I don’t think that in a thousand years I would have ever expected you.” I explained my favorite quote that my uncle had been telling me since I was really little. I always knew that he was talking about Mine when he said those words to me.

“I might not firmly love you yet, but I know that one day very, very soon I will. You just need to be patient with me. I do know that you are the most important person in my life. More than my dad, more than either of my uncles, my brother or my cousins. My favorite person… it’s you.” Kakeru listened to me running his finger across my knuckle in soothing motions to keep me grounded.

“Milady, I’m more than willing to be patient with you okay? Never feel like you have to do something just because of me. Did I pressure you into the date next weekend? We can do it later if you want to!! I just want you to feel safe and comfortable around me. I never wanted to pressure you into something that you didn’t really want to do. That would kill me. I know that everything happened really fast, probably faster than I would have expected but they call it a meet-cute for a reason. I knew when I saw you sitting in that desk that you were going to change my life.” When I looked up at the boy that had stolen my attention almost instantly I saw that he was honest and just trying to comfort me in the best way that he could. 

“No, I didn’t mean to be that kind of patient. You didn’t pressure me in any way Kakeru I wanted that date hell I asked for it and I’m really truly excited about it. I just meant patient like I might not ever be interested in sex…” I trailed off and he just squeezed my hand gently. I could spend forever with his hand in mine and be perfectly comfortable.

“I would never force you into anything like that. I don’t care if you’re not ever interested in things like that okay? We’re still just kids so if it takes you some time before you know for sure as long as I get to hold your hand I won’t care about anything. I’ll still be by your side no matter what happens. I’ll take care of you and make sure that you’re alright with every little step.” He promised and I knew that I could trust him. That little smile on his face lightened my heart and I felt it start to beat in triple time. I hoped that I never stopped feeling the way that I was right now.

“I’m not sure what exactly I did in a previous life to deserve you but thank you for being so understanding…” I leaned my head against his shoulder and he just smiled down at me a little bit.

“I think that’s my line. I'm the lucky one here, Fumi-chan. Are you still up for working on our song today after school?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to get to work with him on so many of the school projects that we were working on together.

“Of course!! I’ve pretty much not shut up about you to my family members. I think sooner or later they’re going to get tired of it. I’ll have to find new ones to vent to about how amazing of a person you are.” I joked and Kakeru just looked down at me a little bit surprised by how much I had talked about him to my family.

“You’ve told your family about me?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer surprise in his tone. If he thought that I’d not tell my uncles and cousins about him then he was sorely mistaken.

“Of course I’ve told them!! It was pretty much an instant thing. They noticed how much happier I had seemed after I got home from uncle Aya’s the other day. They knew that something had happened that day. When I told them though they were all happy for me. They told me pretty much what you’d expect that I deserved the love and affection even if I didn’t think that I did. Uncle Aya in particular wants to meet you.” Kakeru swung our hands back and forth and I couldn’t help but feel so much better than I did when I got up this morning.

“I want to meet him too!! I want to meet everyone that you have in your life whenever you’re comfortable with introducing me.” I realized something about this relationship. It was always on my terms. I felt comfortable with that. I didn’t have to do anything that I didn’t want to do.

“Thank you, it won’t be much longer I promise. My family is just a little bit much, especially my uncles. My dad might be a bit tricky since I can’t go back to the Sohma house. He’d have to go to uncle Shi’s in order to meet you.” I smiled softly at the fact that everything had changed so quickly. The day before yesterday I was alone and terrified that I would never speak again. Now look at where I was. I had a guy, the most amazing guy, that was actually interested in being in a romantic relationship with me and three female friends.

“I’m willing to wait as long as it takes in order for you to be comfortable with everything. I probably shouldn’t hold your hand at school. People might get the wrong idea that we’re dating already.” He tried to unlace our fingers but I stopped him pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. I couldn’t have cared less what people said about me but I also knew that I would get a lot of bad talk coming my way.

“I don’t care about what other people say about me. I never really have it’s nothing that I haven’t heard before tragically. If you don’t want people to know how crazy I am about you then that’s okay I can try my best to bury my feelings down at school.” Kakeru looked at me with his eyes shining and interlaced our fingers together.

“It can’t be nearly as crazy as I am about you milady. I don’t want to put too much on you and that’s why I wanted to try and protect you. I know you can perfectly well take care of yourself, hell you should probably be the one protecting me.” I laughed loudly at my boyfriend? I really wanted him to be my boyfriend as ridiculous as that probably sounded to anybody else. 

“Damn right I’m your boyfriend Fumi-chan and I'm always happy to be that. Do you want to be my girlfriend?” He asked me and I could see the slight fear in his eyes that I would actually turn him down.

“I was going to tease you but I don’t think you’d enjoy that very much so I’ll settle for being brutally honest. I think that nothing in this world would make me happier than being your girlfriend.” The way his eyes lit up when I told him that and how he just instantly embraced me not caring that we were right in front of the school.

“I’m so happy right now…” He admitted and I felt tears come to my eyes as I put my drink down on the sidewalk so I could hug him back.

“Me too Kakeru, I can’t remember ever being happier.” The way we fit together like two missing puzzle pieces that had finally found their other half was so remarkable to me. I didn’t want to leave his hug but I knew that I had to when I heard the snap of a camera.

“Well would you look at that Hana I think our Fumiko has finally got herself the guy she’s spent the last two days mooning over.” I blushed a bright pink at the fact that Uo-chan had taken a picture of us.

“If I give you my number yankee will you text that to me?” My boyfriend asked and I somehow blushed an even hotter pink color.

“Course, just know that you hurt her and you’ll have a world of your own hurt coming your way?” Hana-chan smiled softly at me, taking my hands in her’s. I could see the tears that were gathering in my gothic friend’s eyes.

“Your waves are truly beautiful. This must be the way that they’ve always wanted to be I can tell. I am glad that you could make her happy Kakeru Manabe.” Hana-chan encouraged me and I could see the emotions pooling in her eyes.

“I feel happy, really extremely immensely happy. Not just because of him either but because of all of you. You’ve all been so kind to me. I’m so thankful that you’ve come into my life.” I thanked both of the women that were standing there and Uo-chan just hugged me tightly.

“You shouldn’t have to thank people for being kind Fumi-chan okay? Just be your same happy little self and everything will be alright in our books. I’m so glad that you were able to find your prince charming. If anybody needs it it’s you.” She reminded me, thumping my nose with a small smile on her face.

“I think it was about me finding a person that I could relate to more than anything rather than him saving me. I mean yes he did bring back my voice and I want to repay that in every way that I can.” Kakeru just shook his head at me entwining his fingers with mine and giving them a gentle squeeze.

“It’s not about needing to repay me milady I didn’t even know what I did until you spoke. I think that I was just meant to bring your voice back to you and help you find your voice again. I was just being myself, typical funny boy Kakeru.” I laughed a little bit at my boyfriend shaking my head because he was so much more than just the funny man in my opinion.

“You are so much more than just the comedy relief it’s deeper than that hun.” Uo-chan playfully gagged and I saw Tohru coming up the street from the other way.

“Oh everyone is already here!! Am I late?” She asked me and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“The rest of us were early-“ I was about to proceed when Uo-chan put her arm around Tohru’s shoulder and gestured towards me and my boyfriend.

“It looks like our baby Fumi-chan has found her inner strength to ask the loon here to be her boyfriend.” I couldn’t help but shake my head at Uo’s eccentricities to how the talk had actually gone down.

“That’s so great Fumi-chan!! I can’t believe that you actually got together so quickly. But I’m happy for you at the same time!!” Tohru smiled brightly at me and I laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of my neck.

“It was kind of my fault had a bit of an emotional meltdown. I’m just happy that everything worked out so well.” Kakeru squeezed my hand with a small smile on his face and I couldn’t help but feel all the better.

“I wouldn’t really call it an emotional meltdown, maybe a baby sensory overload? I was willing to be patient but she was the impatient one.” I blushed a bright pink lightly punching him in the shoulder.

“Yep it’s official I’m jealous of you guys and your happiness. Just don’t forget about us girls.” Uo-chan joked and I laughed a little bit at her shaking my head. As if I could ever forget about the girls that had helped me get together with him in the first place by encouraging me and telling me that whatever I was feeling was okay.

“I would never forget about you guys you're the best. Hell you’re probably one of the reasons that I got with Kakeru so early on. I just knew that I was happy and I couldn’t let that happiness get away from me.” Kakeru pressed his forehead against mine and I couldn’t help but sigh happily at the way that everything had turned out so right for me.

“We’ll talk about it more tomorrow at the sleepover for sure.” Hana-chan nodded her head and I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at her.

“I’m looking forward to it!! I’ve never been at a sleepover before. At least not with another girl I don’t get along with the closest female cousin to my age. Most of my sleepovers were with Haru when we were little kids.” I mentioned a little bit remembering those days when me and my best friend were just young children together.

“Well then you are in for one hell of a treat!! It’ll be great just to bring your movies that you want to watch. You get to pick so it’s whatever you want to watch other than Skeleton Twins.” My heart warmed at the fact that I was going to be able to share this movie with my three new friends. I had never really shared the movie with anybody that wasn’t my own family members.

“I’ll bring the Tigger movie too, does that work?” Tohru smiled brightly nodding her head. I felt my chest for the first time lighten and the dark clouds that had been following me around begin to let the sunshine into my life again.

“Do I need to bring anything else?” Uo-chan smiled at me and I felt Kakeru’s eyes on me as I looked up at him.

“What?” I asked him and he just shook his head at me that same heart stopping smile on his face.

“You’re adorable, I don’t think that you’ve been told that nearly enough.” I blushed a light pink color but I was starting to believe these words. I could be cute, I was allowed to be feminine.

“Just the usual things that you would need for a night away when you were a kid. Some pajamas, toothpaste and toothbrush, stuffed animals if you need those, clothes for the next day and yourself.” She told me and I filled that information away for the next day when I had to pack after going to the mall.

“I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you all!! It’s going to be great.” The five minute bell rang over our heads and I sighed a little bit.

“We’ll see you all in music class, come on milady.” He led me away from my group of girls and I threw my arms around his neck.

“Thank you for being so amazing with me Kakeru…” I thanked him and he just laughed a little bit pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“No need to thank me and I’m not nearly as amazing as you are gorgeous.” He shot me a wink and I blushed a bright pink color.

“Come on otherwise Tupling will lecture us. I think she said that today was American history day which means presidents. We’ve been studying the presidents from the early days of our democracy until Clinton right now. Mostly because after that we know how it went.” He held the door open to our homeroom and I put my messenger bag over my chair.

“Well you too didn’t take long at all to get together. The seating chart never fails.” Mrs. Tupling handed us a bowl of suckers and I picked out a pink tootsie pop. 

“It was more like we just felt like there was this unexplainable connection between us. She’s perfect.” I felt my heart melt and I heard Mrs. Tupling sigh a little bit happily at the two of us as Kakeru took his own green apple, one clinking it with mine before I took the wrapper off. 

“I’m so glad that you think so Manabe looked like she needed the love when she first got here. He’ll take good care of you, he might look like a slacker but he means well.” The final bell rang overhead and everyone that was standing around took their seats.

“Alright kiddos who am I going to pick on today…” She got out her bowl of names and pulled mine out.

“I can draw another one if you’re not comfortable with getting in front of the class. Especially since you haven’t been with us for very long.” She told me and I stood up with a small smile on my face.

“What do I need to do?” I asked her as she got out a bunch of pictures of the presidents and put them on the board.

“You need to match the name with the president and introduce them to the class. We haven’t had anybody who has done it properly yet.” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face I flattened my skirt that was crinkling in the side a little bit.

“Can I do this slightly dysfunctional?” I asked her and she nodded her head as I turned around to face my class.

“All right I haven’t seen this song in a very long time but I think I can pull this off…” I hummed the tune of the song with a smile on my face.

_ “George Washington was the first you see he once chopped down a cherry tree…”  _ I went through the rest of the presidents showing off my knowledge of the show that I had grown up with. Everyone looked at me with their jaws on the floor except for Kakeru who just had these massive heart eyes.

“How did you do that?! I showed them that video when I first started this project and nobody has been able to redo it ever since. The person that came the closest was Manabe.” I gave my boyfriend a bright smile and a thumbs up.

“My dad raised me on the show so I learned a lot from it. I could sing a lot of the songs but this one in particular as a little girl was one of my favorites. After that there was George Bush jr and Barack Obama.” I put the names with the proper presidents sighing before putting the last one there and giving my boyfriend an over exaggerated gag. Seeing him laugh at something that I had done made me feel like I could achieve anything.

“That was truly something remarkable wasn’t it class?” She asked my classmates who all cheered for me as Mrs. Tupling handed me ten more suckers.

“Savor these they’ll get you through the next few days.” She told me with a wink and I laughed a little bit at her. 

“Can I split them with Kakeru?” I asked her and she just laughed at me nodding her head as I took half of them and gave them to my boyfriend.

“You were so beautiful up there being all smart. I couldn’t ever finish the song I came really close to though.” I smiled softly at my boyfriend who had done the best that he could to do things the same way that I had.

“I was probably really nerdy. I don’t think I was all that beautiful. I do love performing that song though it’s one of my favorites. I could sing those songs forever.” He kissed my hand and played with my fingers. I sighed happily around my sucker but I couldn’t believe that all of this had happened within a couple of days.

“Manabe would you like to try and sing the song as well?” I saw my boyfriend nod his head excitedly as our teacher took down the names and I watched Kakeru get his pointer and take the first name. I watched the boy that had stolen my attention sing all of the different presidents the same way that I did.

_ “The next president to lead the way, well it just might be yourself one day. Then the press will distort everything you say, so jump in your plane and fly away!!”  _ I cheered loudly for my boyfriend. The waves of pride that I felt for him finally being able to perform the same song that I did. He got three suckers from our teacher and I kissed his cheek gently.

“That was amazing baby!!” I exclaimed and he blushed a little bit but I could see that lovesick smile on his face.

“Congratulations to you both but sadly we do have other things that we need to do this morning before music class. I’m so proud of you both you’ve done incredible things today.” Kakeru played with my fingers and I could see the smile on his face. He was so cute and adorable that I couldn’t help but be enamored by him.

“It wasn’t nearly as amazing as you were milady you went first and I couldn’t be prouder of you.” My heart sped up when he winked at me and then turned his attention to the teacher in front of the classroom.

“Performing that I just pretended that it was just me and you. That made it easier for me to be able to do that in front of an audience. I think that’s what I’m going to need to do for the showcase too.” Mrs. Tupling grinned at the two of us and she handed out sheets that we would use to fill out our presentation for next week.

“I’m not expecting perfection with this project but you will need to work outside of school. Like I mentioned if you don’t work with a desk neighbor then you do need to double the work.” I locked pinkies with my boyfriend with a happy smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to perform our song in front of the class.

“I hope that everybody knows what they are doing for their presentation but most of all I want this to be fun for everyone!! This is a great experience to make new friends and to find that you have more in common than you originally thought. I want to give you this time if you need to get a head start. Due date is next Friday.” I took out my phone so that I could text my uncle.

_ Me: Hi uncle!! I was wondering if I could stop by for a visit on Sunday? If you’re too busy I can come during the week I know that’s your day off.  _ I didn’t want to ask about Kakeru until he told me that he was free. I know that the first person that would want to make sure that I was well taken care of and that I wouldn’t get hurt was my favorite uncle.

_ Uncle Aya: You can always come by my darling, you don’t even need to ask to visit me. I would have told you when you visited the other day if I had plans or not. Is there a chance that you will bring a certain desk partner with you?  _ I laughed a little bit at the fact that my uncle was already five steps ahead of me.

“Would you want to meet my uncle on Sunday? Only if you’re not busy of course!! I don’t want to be a burden if you already made plans.” Kakeru smiled softly at me running a finger over my knuckles to calm me down.

“I would love to meet your uncle!! In fact I can’t think of anything that I would love more than that. He’s such a huge part of your life so meeting him would be a huge honor.” I smiled brightly at my boyfriend as I kissed his cheek.

“He already knew that I was going to ask him about bringing you with me. Sunday’s are his usual days off so I had to text him and make sure that he didn’t already have something to do with that day.” I smiled softly texting back to my uncle as my boyfriend leaned his head on my shoulder.

_ Me: You know me too well uncle, he’s now officially my boyfriend. We did originally plan on getting to know each other a bit better. But you know me, I’ve never been known to be the patient type. I’m also doing a showcase for school and I wanted to invite you to come!! It’s a music showcase where I had to pick music that I grew up with and I really wanted to invite you to come out. I shouldn’t need a new dress but if I do I’ll let you know. _

“You two talk really openly with each other that’s so awesome that you can tell him whatever you’re thinking.” I laughed a little bit pocketing my phone and Kakeru just put his arm around my shoulder.

“If you’re going to meet any member of my family it’s going to have to be my uncle Aya first. He’s easily my closest family member. You’re kind of a lot alike now that I think about.” He smiled adoringly at me and I felt my heart throb a little bit. I took out my notebook to show him the lyrics that I had written last night.

“Oh really?” He asked me with a joking eyebrow. I couldn’t help but throw my head back laughing at him.

“You’re at least a lot alike in terms of sense of humor. You’re both really hectic and chaotic people. He jokes that the world just moves too slowly to keep up with him.” I could see Kakeru’s smile that proved that what I was saying made sense in some way. I couldn’t help but see all my future with him just laughing together. My uncle Shigure always thought that if you found somebody that you could laugh with that’s the rest of your life right there.

“Then I really can’t wait to meet him if we already are a lot alike. Sometimes that happens you grow up idolizing a family member and then when you get a little bit older you find somebody with similar personalities. Can I see what you’ve got written? I got some things that I wrote too!!” I looked through his own notebook smiling softly at the fact that we had basically written the same lyrics just in separate places.

“We really do think a lot alike Fumi-chan!! I’m really truly happy.” I smiled softly at him leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Me too I never thought that I’d meet somebody as perfect for me as you are Kakeru. You’re my polar opposite but you’re willing to push me forward to doing things that I couldn’t have ever imagined I would do. A few years ago I’d be terrified to do a showcase. When I told my brother he was shocked because I have a hard time even performing in front of one person. But you make me feel like I can do anything that I could put my mind to.” I explained a little bit of my conversation with my little brother and how surprised he was at the fact that I was excited about this kind of thing.

“But you’re so talented and you have every right to show it off to the world. I’ll always support you no matter what it is that you want to do. Even if you decide that it isn’t music related. Even if we don’t work out not that I’m letting you out of my sight anytime soon.” He winked playfully at me and I blushed a bright pink. 

“I haven’t ever really thought about what I wanted to do. I thought that I wouldn’t have the opportunity since so many of my family members have to go for the career that Akito tells them that they will be good at if they get a career at all. So really I haven’t thought about a dream aspiration or job. I love doing a lot of things so it’s hard for me to just pick one and have that be the be all and end all of my future.” I mentioned with a sad smile and he took both of my hands in his.

“Hey, you aren’t there anymore okay? And we’re still young, you have your entire life to figure out what it is that you’re extraordinary at. Do you know how to sew? Maybe taking over your uncle’s shop one day could be an option?” I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck showing him some of my work on my phone.

“As much as I would love that and I do know how to sew he taught me everything he knew from a young age his shop is much different than what you might expect. It’s what he calls a shop for men’s fantasies like I said he’s eccentric as hell and bi so he’s always been open with me about that.” I struggled to talk about this sort of thing with most anybody else but I wanted my boyfriend to know what he was getting into.

“I think that’s actually really cool that he’s as open as he is about his sexuality. So many people cover that up around children our age because they don’t think that they could possibly understand. Is his current partner male or female if he has one?” Kakeru asked me curiously and I smiled softly.

“I think that he’s ass over tea kettle for his assistant at the moment, a woman named Mine. But there are obstacles that he has to get through on his own. I can’t help him and there’s a lot of personal things that my family has to deal with. But I really love him with Mine they are adorable. He has had male partners when I was growing up and all of them were amazing with me. Most of them just didn’t last very long.” I shrugged my shoulders a little bit and he listened to my story about what it was like growing up around my incredible uncle.

“I can’t wait to meet both of them!! They sound like they did a bang up job raising you and helping out your dad in any way that they could. Did you decide where you want to stay? I know that you were considering leaving yesterday.” I smiled softly thinking about how accepting my family life was towards my life decisions. I knew that it would take Yuki and Kyo a while to get used to the idea of me having a boyfriend. Especially Kyo, he wasn’t keen on the idea even when we were little kids. They were going to have to get used to it though because I wasn’t giving Kakeru up without one hell of a fight.

“I’m staying with my uncle Shigure for the time being. Things might change depending on how awkward they get once Kyo leaves. But I’m still happy there and I think I’ll continue to be so. Plus they kind of need me over there otherwise they’d just eat takeout every night.” I joked and hearing Kakeru’s laugh put me at peace.

“I think most men can’t cook worth anything because they are simply never taught how to. It’s considered women’s work still which is a lot of lies and bull if you’re asking me. I know how to cook because I often need to take care of myself. My mom works a lot so she isn’t always home.” My heart broke for Kakeru’s situation. It couldn’t have been easy growing up the bastard child and knowing that you could never have a true family. 

“I know that you couldn’t have that easy childhood like I sort of did. I just want to make your future brighter. I want you to have the best day ever.” I promised him and he started to smile a little bit watery at me.

“I think I’m already having it. It can’t get much better than this.” It can, it can get so much better. I promise one day I’ll find out how to give you a true best day. I’ve had a lot of them over the years of just simple things and I feel this need to give you the same. It doesn’t need to be much. I just want to make you truly happy, that's all. You’ve already made me happier than I have ever been in my entire life. I want to show you that you aren’t made up of your past. I want to be in your future. As I looked up into the eyes of my boyfriend I promised myself something. That I would never let anything come between me and how happy I was feeling at that moment. 

“I want to make you happy. What can I do for you in order to do that?” I asked him and he just smiled that dopey grin at me that sent my heart aflutter.

“Just continue being yourself Fumi-chan!! I can’t ask for much better than that I want to make you happier. You already are so beautiful but when you smile at me it’s like I’m looking at the most stunning person that I’ve ever met. So as long as I keep making you laugh at my quirkiness that’s all I really need to be happy.” He kissed my hands that he was holding and I felt tears come to my eyes.

“You brought me back from a state of limbo where I wasn’t truly happy either.” He thumbed my cheeks to get rid of the tears that were in my eyes and I could see the small smile there. 

“I don’t want to make you cry. You should be smiling and laughing sweetheart. I’m sorry that I made you cry. I didn’t mean to.” I shook my head with a small smile on my face fanning my face to get my tears away. 

“It’s not tears of sadness hun I’m sorry it’s just I’m really happy. I knew that I was going to cry at some point today mostly because my emotions are all out of control.” My boyfriend squeezed my hands comforting me and giving me that grounding that I needed so I wouldn’t get too lost in my own head.

“I’ve grown rather fond of that nickname hun. Mind if I call you that sometimes?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face. I wondered what I should call him since none of the nicknames seemed to suit my Kakeru right. I snapped my fingers after a moment of thinking about it.

“My knight. You call me milady so I’ll call you my knight.” Kakeru’s eyes widened and I could see the smile on his face start to broaden.

“You know what, I actually love that!! You don’t need a specific thing to call me Fumi-chan. I've always wanted to be the overly romantic type with the nicknames and everything. Maybe I’m over compensating for the fact that I never had that growing up.” I nodded my head since if anybody understood that perfectly it was me. The girl from the other broken home who had to grow up quickly. 

“I know that’s why I told you I was a little bit worried I would be clingy with you.” My boyfriend smiled softly at me and leaned his forehead against mine.

“It’s okay milady I’m going to be super overprotective over you. So we can both be clingy with each other and make everyone else sick to their stomachs.” I laughed at Kakeru and he gazed into my bright blue eyes. He was the first person that I had ever met that I was instantly comfortable with eye contact. 

“I think that we’re already doing that with Uo-chan. I honestly can’t believe that I have friends and a boyfriend now it seems almost surreal.” My boyfriend pinched my lower arm and I yelped in pain a little bit.

“I just wanted to prove that this is one hundred percent real. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon even if this did go faster than I had planned out in my head I wouldn’t have done a thing differently.” I would have rubbed the back of my neck but he was still holding my hands.

“I’m sorry that I went ahead of your schedule. I just couldn’t help myself. I saw you in front of me and I just knew I couldn’t let you get away from me. I’m just glad that you weren’t mad at me for being honest Kakeru.” My boyfriend smiled brightly at me and I could hear the gentle laugh that I had gotten used to hearing.

“Me? Mad at you hun? That sounds utterly ridiculous. I could never, ever be mad at you. You’re too perfect for me and I wanted to make you happy. What kind of ice cream do you want to get after school today?” He asked me and I smiled softly at him. I knew that he was going to call me a sugarholic after this.

“So my usual ice cream if I haven’t told you already is birthday cake with a waffle cone. If it hasn’t been obvious enough I have a problem with sugar.” He kissed my nose, grinning at me and I blushed a bright pink. 

“It’s alright to have a problem with sugar. I can’t really blame you on that. Plus you’re still just a kid as I’ve said before and you weren’t really around sugar a whole lot growing up. They were pretty strict on your diet right?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face thinking about how the old ladies at Sohma house would lecture me about my weight consistently.

“They were always on my case about whatever I was eating. If I had too many pieces of fruit in one sitting it was a punishment of isolation until my dad came to get me. He always tried his best to protect me but he was busy a lot so most of the time it was the older women at Sohma house that raised me. I loved whenever I got to stay with uncle Aya because he made sure that I had enough sugar to last me the rest of the week, I would hide them in my room so that the women wouldn’t find them. Underneath my floorboards. I always shared with Momiji and my dad though when he wanted some of them.” Kakeru listened to my ranting and he laughed a little bit when I told him about my sugar.

“I’ll bet that you’re glad you don’t have to do that anymore. I can’t blame you if you hated them and living there. I know that you’ve struggled a lot with self love and I want to protect you. I know that you’re a damn near black belt but you’re so perfect for me. I feel like I’m going to be saying that a lot.” I laughed at my boyfriend as I squeezed his hands that were between mine. He was so adorable and quirky that I couldn’t help but feel this warmth and happiness.

“Me too, my dad he always used to tell me that people weren’t perfect. There are people that are perfect for each other but you can’t overlook their flaws. I always thought that nobody would ever look at me and say yeah I want to be with her. She’s perfect for me.” I felt more tears come to my eyes that I struggled to wipe away as the bell rang.

“Then I’ll just have to be sure that I continue to tell you that you are perfect for me. Maybe you just needed a goofball in your life to encourage you that things will get better.” Kakeru helped me to stand up and he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. I was never more happy that I couldn’t change into my otter form anymore.

“I think you might be right. I’m so happy to have met you when I really needed to. I don’t think I would have come back the same way that I did if I hadn't met you when I did. You were amazing with me. You brought my voice back when I thought that I never would use it again. Or at least not in the same way.” Kakeru just gently shushed me, rubbing a soothing motion down my back.

“Come on milady let’s go see what you’re going to do to amaze me in music class today.” I laughed a little bit leaving my backpack here and following him.

“Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream?” I asked him curiously and he just took my hand again. I had a feeling that we were going to be that couple that always needed to be touching in some way shape or form.

“I really love this shop that sells candy infused ice cream that’s where I’m taking you. My favorite is their chocolate rolled in Reese’s pieces. Literally the best ice cream in the world. They have a fruit flavored one with skittles that you’ll probably love.” I melted at the fact that he remembered my main favorite candy that wasn’t gummy sharks.

“I love fruit flavored candy. Thank you Kakeru…” I thanked him and he just kissed my head with a small smile on his face.

“There is absolutely no need to thank me milady. I want for you to be comfortable around me and not have to think that you need to thank me.” He swore and my heart melted at that smile that he had on his face. It was so easy for me to see that he would make big on his promises to me.

“I know my knight I’m just not used to people being interested in me. It might take me a little bit of time before I realize that you’re serious about all of this.” I mentioned and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

“That’s fine I’m a patient person when it comes to this kind of thing. I’ll be honest and tell you that I have had a girlfriend before. Her name is Komaki but we parted ways as just friends last year. It didn’t really work out for her when I started to change into the person I actually wanted to be. She was the girlfriend that my mother wanted for me to have and it was difficult for me to brush that off. When she broke up with me I told myself okay I’m just going to hold off on romance until I know that it’s with the right person. That’s when I met you and you changed everything!!” I listened to Kakeru as he talked about his first girlfriend. My heart went out to him and I squeezed his hand encouragingly.

“I’m sorry that happened to you Kakeru but there’s that saying that everything happens for a reason. If you still had a girlfriend I probably wouldn’t have gotten as close to you as I did so soon. I don’t know what would have happened but I probably would have shut you out. Mostly because these feelings are huge and scary and I’m kind of terrified of them.” He protectively squeezed my hand walking with me.

“Having feelings for another person shouldn’t be scary. You should be happy that you have them. It means that you’re happy with me and if you weren’t well then I’d do everything in my power to change that. I know you don’t have the best experience with familial love and hey so do I. It just means that we’re going to be happier than our parents and shove that in their faces.” I laughed at my boyfriend shaking my head at him.

“Maybe we can do that with your parents. They sound awful but let’s not do that with my dad. He did the best he could to raise me up as happy as I could be.” I leaned my head against his shoulder as he opened the music room door for me. I went to go and sit in the strings section waiting for Mrs. Sakamato to come into the room.

“So you’re officially dating my brother?” I heard a voice next to me and I turned to see that Machi was sitting down next to me.

“Yes I am. Is that going to be a problem?” I asked her with a small smile on my face not wanting to push things further than where they needed to be.

“No it’s not. I just want for him to be happy. If anybody deserves it it’s him. I think that you will make him happier than his ex will. She didn’t like the new and improved him but I can see that you do.” I listened to what the usually quiet girl had to say to me about her opinions of me dating her older brother.

“I’ll make him happy. I promise you don’t have to worry about that at all. Is there anything else that I need to know?” I saw her shake her head but I could see this little glimpse of a smile on her face as she watched her Kakeru talk animatedly with other guitarists that were taking this class.

“He’s pretty much talked about you nonstop since he met you. I’m glad that he could help you and hopefully you can help him too.” She told me before our teacher came in and she picked up the bow for her cello.

“Good morning my young music makers!! Let’s get this showcase on the road case.” She tried to rhyme and I couldn’t help but laugh at her eccentric nature.

“I want to ask something of Miss Fumi-chan if she has a moment just in my office here really quick.” She led me into the room and I looked at her curiously. She closed the door behind her and I could see that she didn’t know how I was going to react to whatever she had to tell me.

“I’m going to be upfront with you about this. I know you might have reservations about this whole thing but I have an orchestra club that sometimes performs in theater halls around here. We put music to movies and we’re doing a Miyazaki night really soon within the next couple of months. It’s scheduled for the week of fall break. Your boyfriend is a part of the club too so it wouldn’t just be you there. I wanted to extend the invitation to you because I want you to be our main violin chair there. Ours graduated onto high school last year and I know that you have high school entrance exams and everything but I just want you to think about it.” She explained to me the inner workings for the orchestra club that she ran and my heart started to beat a little bit faster. More time with Kakeru outside of school? Sign me the hell up!!

“I’ll do it, I’d be happy to be the main violin chair. I already know all Joe Hizashi’s library from my years with my best friend, the violin. I’ve studied all of his old songs so I shouldn’t need much outside practice time. I have a really good memory so I don’t need to study as much as some people do. I’ll be perfectly ready for entrance exams in spring!!” I promised her and she smiled softly at me.

“That’s great. I'd like to welcome you after school on Monday. We meet every third day of the week and our meetings go from the end of school until dark so you’ll need to take care of homework at night from now on. Anyone that doesn’t have a passing grade gets put on probation until it’s up again. I don’t think you’re going to have any problems.” She told me and I laughed a little bit at her bowing before exiting the classroom. Kakeru cocked his head a little bit at me and I just mouthed later. He shot me a wink and I couldn’t help the blush that scattered my cheeks.

“Alright kiddos so I’ve got a basic idea of the order of this thing. Everyone will have to perform at least one song even if you aren’t as good as the other students here. I want everyone to have a fair shot. It’s not going to be ranked or graded; this is just something that I wanted to do for fun. To give you a chance to show your parents what you’ve learned over the course of these last three years. All of you are equally capable of greatness in the music world; some of you don’t give it as much as you can. I want everyone to bring their A-game to this project to give us the best show possible. Okay!! I’m going to show you the order of people that will be performing together.” I smiled brightly as she showed me the list and order that we were going to be performing in.

“The first performer I want to see is Fumi-chan!! But she won’t be our only star. Everyone is going to have an equal amount of performance time. That's what I wanted to do for this show.” She told me and I nodded my head with a small nervous smile on my face. If I had to be up first well then I’d be screwed if I messed up. No, I didn’t have time to start thinking like that. This was an opportunity to make my uncle proud of me for once in my life. 

“I have three family members that I’m closest to and I wanted to do songs for all of them. Can I write them on the board?” I asked Mrs. Sakamato who nodded her head and I grabbed a pen writing down their names and the songs underneath them. 

“Okay let’s talk about my uncle Shigure. He’s a writer, a novelist he calls himself even though he’s not the best at it. Even he would tell you that. I didn’t technically spend a whole lot of time with him until he adopted my cousin Lin. She’s one of my best friends that I have inside of my family. The one thing that my uncle Shi did that absolutely changed the way that I lived my life was he got me interested in reading books. He would read me The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings when he would come and visit me growing up. So for his songs I’m choosing The Greatest Adventure into In The Valley Ha from the animated Hobbit movies. I also have chosen A Man Has Dreams from Mary Poppins.” I multitasked telling them about my childhood with my uncle Shigure while writing down the songs that I wanted to play for him.

“I’ve always been extremely close to my dad even though he worked a lot. Spending time with him often revolved around the ever illusive family movie night that was every night otherwise he would have never taken a break from working. So every third night it would be my turn because I have a little brother that is also coming to the show. My dad is why I love cartoons and muppets as much as I do. He showed me all of the things that he had grown up with and so these are mostly going to be kind of old school. For my dad I have chosen I’m Going To Go Back There Someday from the original first Muppet movie. This is a really emotional song for me because as a little girl Gonzo was my spirit animal. I always felt odd like I couldn’t really blend in or fit in anywhere. It wasn’t until I got a little bit older and started to make friends with my cousins that I found that it was okay to be a bit strange and not relate to other people. I could just be myself and people wouldn’t really care. At least the people that I loved didn’t care. I have also picked the first Animaniacs song of the group Wakko’s Capitals which I can play and sing and you will see me do that, as well as A Town With An Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Your Heart Will Lead You Home from the Tigger movie.” The more I talked about the songs that I had planned the more excited I found myself getting. I couldn’t wait until all my favorite people got to see me perform my childhood favorite songs.

“Lastly we have my favorite uncle, my uncle Ayame. This is where I spent most of my childhood if I’m being perfectly honest. Because I was sick a lot growing up and my dad was always having sick people coming into our house as he was the family doctor he had me quarantined with my cousin Lin at my second uncle’s house. It was at his apartment above his dress shop where I first learned how to master my old friend here the violin. I started when I was four and he was always patient with me considering how young I was. Most of the time at his house I was watching Pinky and The Brain so I really wanted to try my hand at that theme song. I also added Meticulous Analysis Of History which I can do. I just do it in different tones to signify both personalities of the characters. My duet is going to be Flying Dreams from Secret Of Nimh and I’m going to perform that with Kakeru. That song is always really emotional for me because of the fact that when I stayed with my uncle we always watched this movie at least once during my stay. It is his favorite animated film that isn’t made by Disney and he gave that love of the movie to me. When my uncle was opening his shop he used to tell me that there were so many failures but that they always made him stronger. There is always a better angle that you could reach if you could just get there. Even if it means that you have to ask for help in order to do so. He compares his successes and his losses to the song Roses Of Success from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” I finished writing down my songs and my teacher just smiled brightly at me gesturing to the board.

“This is the kind of reasoning that I’m looking for. It’s perfect and you’re going to be the opener for us!! This is going to be an all day affair for three days straight and it won’t be until Christmas break so we’ll have time to put together a beautiful show for everyone. I haven’t found a venue yet but I assure you that I will.” She explained to the class and I took my seat next to Kuragi-san in the strings section.

“You did very well.” She told me and I couldn’t help but smile a little bit at the quiet girl next to me in class.

“I want Kakeru to go after Fumi-chan on our first day, do you have your songs prepared?” My boyfriend tripped a little bit on the last step but caught himself with a laugh.

“I’m doing the childhood songs as well but they’re not as thought out as my girlfriend is sadly. I wasn’t close with my parents or much of my family back in these early days of my youth. I did remember a lot of songs that I loved back then though!!” He took the marker writing down the songs that he had planned out as well as the duet that we were going to do.

“My duet is going to be with my girlfriend, the beautiful Fumi-chan!! She wanted to do The Wiggles songs with me.” He showed the class and Mrs. Sakamato nodded her head approvingly with a small smile on her face.

“I know that you two will make an amazing duo. I can’t wait to see you both start to put your set pieces together and make your own mini shows. We do have one more principal that I want to focus on and that’s Machi Kuragi. Can you show us what you’ve come up with? This will be our setup for our first day.” Machi went to the front of the class and started to make her own list of songs that she had come up with.

“Do all of us have to have nine songs to perform?” I could hear the anxious voice of Tohru come from over in her spot by the recorders.

“Not everyone needs to have them. I really only wanted to have the main three to have nine. I wanted them to be the “stars” of our showcase. Is everyone okay with that?” I heard a cheer from all my classmates and I couldn’t help but feel tears come to my eyes. I had never been so widely accepted by a group of people in my entire life.

“You’ve got this Fumi-chan you’re going to do amazing!!” I heard the encouraging voice of Uotani coming from over on her side as she shot me a wink. 

“I-I promise I’ll bring this class the most that I can to do amazing in this showcase. I won’t let anybody down or be a disappointment in any way.” Kakeru just smiled up at me patting the seat next to him as the class seemed to go their own ways to figure out what they wanted to perform.

“How are you doing anxiety wise milady?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile snuggling into his side.

“I’m doing better than I was yesterday. Now I’m ready to be a frontrunner for this show. I’m actually really excited!! Most of my family hasn’t heard me play because I don’t really like to brag and show off my talents other than around my uncle or my brother who also plays. My dad listens to me play but I don’t think uncle Shi has heard me play for a few years. I really want to make them all proud of me and this is one of the few ways that I know how to do that.” Kakeru put his arm protectively around my shoulders drawing me in a little bit closer.

“It’s okay to brag and show off if you’ve got enough talent to do so. You’re really amazing at violin playing so you have all the rights to brag about how good you are at it. There’s not a whole lot of people that can sing like an angel and play the violin at the exact same time.” I blushed a bright pink playing with my index fingers.

“You’re probably right about that but I’d rather not brag about something. I’m really bad at taking praise. Probably a psychologist would tell me it’s because of the lack of a proper mother figure in my life.” I tried to joke but my boyfriend wasn’t buying it. He leaned his head on my shoulder and when I looked down at him I saw the different emotions swimming in his brown eyes.

“I don’t think that’s it I think it’s because even though you’ve gotten plenty of praise from your family and friends it’s more that you didn’t think that you were worthy of it. It’s more deep rooted in self esteem issues rather than the lack of a mother figure. I think maybe I can help with that. I mean I wouldn’t want you getting a big head or anything but knowing you’re good at what you love that’s a good thing.” He winked at me with a joking smile on his face. I blushed a bright pink wondering if it was just going to be like this for the rest of my life. If that was the case then I couldn’t find it in me to want anything to be different.

“Okay I mean if you want to help me with that I could probably be better at a lot of things. Eye contact being the other one. I don’t know why it’s so easy usually with you it’s comfortable and I’m not nervous about doing it.” Kakeru rubbed his cheek against mine and I smiled softly at him shaking my head at his goofy nature. 

“I’m really glad to hear that actually. It’s okay to not be comfortable with eye contact around other people. I’ll bet that the old hags at the old house where you lived harped on you a lot for that right?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face thinking about how many beatings with the bamboo stick I got when I couldn’t do simple things like that.

“It was the thing that I got the most lectures for. They would ask me how anybody would want to marry somebody that couldn’t even use proper eye contact.” He ran a thumb over my cheek and I could see the protectiveness in his eyes.

“Apparently they hadn’t planned on a goofball like me coming in and not really caring that you weren’t the best at some things.” I laughed a little bit tucking a lock of black hair behind my ear with a small smile.

“I don’t they could have ever planned on somebody like you Kakeru I mean I certainly didn’t. It doesn’t make it more special though. When you meet Haru he will tell you that I’ve always had a type of goofball who has been through a lot but still wants to make people happy. I have been made fun of by most of my cousins who know about my crush on Tamaki Suoh. Which would be… all four of them that are close enough to me to know that.” I joked and hearing my boyfriend’s laugh made me feel even better.

“I feel like I’d really like Haru, he was the one that protected you right?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face filtering through my phone to find a selfie with me and my gothic cousin. 

“You probably would love Haru. He's been through a lot. He has bipolar so just giving you a little bit of a warning but he’s a lot better than he was. A lot of older people around the house were cruel to him as well calling him an idiot and a space cadet as a little kid because he was always getting lost. That still happens to this day. I had to help him find uncle Shi’s house the day before yesterday even though he’s been there a bunch of times to visit Lin.” Talking about my younger cousins brought a tear to my eye.

“Hey, are you okay? Why are you crying?” I shook my head using my sleeve to dry my tears that were there.

“I’m alright it’s just I miss Lin a lot. I don’t know when I’m going to see her again in person. My dad came to pick her up yesterday when we were in school. I know that it will get her better and I’m happy about that but I’ll miss her that’s all.” Kakeru just shushed me gently, wrapping his arms around me in a tightly wound hug.

“It’s okay, it’s okay to cry about things like that. I know it’s hard for you to be vulnerable in front of people but it’s alright. I can’t even imagine what that must be like to lose your best friend like that. Even if it is to help her get better.” My boyfriend comforted me like a professional at the job and I couldn’t help but smile softly. 

“I’m so proud of you for getting up there and talking about your family. I know that must have been really nerve wracking for you.” I melted into the hug and the praise and I couldn’t help but light up from the inside.

“Thank you Kakeru, I don’t know how you’re so good at comforting me already but I’m not complaining about it.” He tucked me under his chin and I couldn’t help but melt even farther. I just felt so comforted right now.

“I’m just doing what I thought that you would like. You’re so beautiful and I hate it when you cry it hurts me. I just want to make everything better for you and I’m willing to do anything that it takes to make you feel better.” I smiled softly at my boyfriend and I felt him rub the small of my back.

“Okay change of subject time, what did Sakamato want to meet in her office about?” I laughed at Kakeru fixing my hair over my shoulder.

“She told me that she wanted me to join the orchestra club as the main violin chair for the Miyazaki night. I told her that I would love to do it!!” He hugged me even tighter to him and I nuzzled into the embrace of warmth and comfort.

“Fumi-chan that’s so amazing!! I’m a member of the orchestra club as well and I can’t wait to start practicing with you. Meetings are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.” I smiled brightly at my boyfriend and I played with his fingers.

“I love playing and I’m super excited to work with music. My brother loves to play as well so we’ve always played together with him. He’s wanted to be a professional violinist for as long as I can remember I think it was from the first time he really knew what he wanted.” I smiled softly at my boyfriend as he played with the ends of my hair.

“Your hair is so beautiful, I love it so much I’m sorry I got distracted. Your relationship with your brother is so amazing and the fact that you’ve accepted him as your little brother. I can’t wait to meet him!! He’s probably the one that I’m the most excited to meet.” I laughed at Kakeru a little bit since I knew that him and my brother would get along perfectly. 

“Oh boy why do I have a feeling that you two are going to get along a little bit too well? I love my brother but two people with ADHD up the wazoo sounds exhausting for me.” I joked and he laughed a little bit.

“I promise I’ll be good and try not to go totally crazy with him. I am partial to prank wars though those can get out of hand really fast. I just thought that I would warn you when those start up. I haven’t found somebody to prank officially with but once I do it’s going to be hectic.” I shook my head at my boyfriend with a small smile on my face.

“Okay lesson for me in the future never let you and Haru start a prank war because that shit will just never end.” I heard the bell ring above my head for science class and I smiled brightly being hella excited to actually start experimenting today. 

“Who’s ready for some science?!” I asked my boyfriend excitedly and he squeezed my hand that he had taken.

“I think I’m ready for some science. It's going to be super fun with you as my lab partner.” He kissed my cheek and I smiled softly at him with a bright pink blush on my cheeks.

“Don’t you worry about it, I’m going to have so much fun with you showing you that science can be fun. I’m really good at science and so are you so this is going to be so great!!” The way that I was walking on air I had never felt this way before. He was so unique and beautiful in his own special way.

“I’m just feeding off your excitement right now it’s kind of adorable. I can’t tell you enough how amazing you are Fumi-chan. I’m serious you have no right to be as kind as you are. I saw you talking to my sister and trying to make friends with her. I know it isn’t easy to relate to other people for you but the way that you were actually trying to talk to her I was almost crying.” My heart warmed at the fact that he was being so open and earnest about all of this even though he didn’t really need to be.

“It’s really no big deal I wanted to be close friends with your younger sister. I know that it will take sometime for her to get used to me. But she did warn me against breaking your heart. She does care about you Kakeru, it's just she goes about saying it in her own special little way. I’m not expecting to be best friends with her but I know how much she means to you.” Kakeru squeezed my hand and I felt the warmth and electricity go through it as I always did whenever he did that.

“I think that you two will be very good friends. It might just take Machi some time to get used to you. She’s a little bit different but she’s going to have to get used to you. Komaki was never very close with her because she was never related to her. I think that Machi needs somebody like you in her life.” I listened as Kakeru talked about what he thought that his sister needed in a good friend.

“Why do you think that?” He laughed a little bit at me leading me down the hallway to the science wing.

“Because I think you’re the kind of person that everybody needs in their lives. You’re a lot like your buddy Tohru where you just have so much love to give to other people and I don't think that Machi has ever had anybody that just loved her for who she is. She was neglected a lot as a child so I don’t think that she really understands that there are people out there who aren’t going to hurt her like you. I hope that she realizes what an amazing person you are and that you two can become good friends. She really needs more of them.” I smiled a little bit sadly thinking about the stoic sister to my over exuberant boyfriend.

“I think that maybe you just have a slight bias there my knight. But I will do my best that I can to make friends with her!! I think that she’s really nice so I’ll be patient with her. Besides she’s in the orchestra club as well so I’m going to have a lot more time with her.” I swung my hands back and forth with my boyfriend and he held the door open to our science class.

“I’m so glad that you decided to join the orchestra club. It's a lot of fun. I can’t wait to spend more time with you.” I blushed a little bit but looking at that smile made me feel so much more comfortable than I would be without him.

“Me too, I never thought that I would actually want to do something somewhat professional with my love of the violin.” Kakeru listened to me and he pulled my chair out for me. I couldn’t help but shake my head at the sheer disbelief that this was my life.

“I told you that you can do whatever you want and I’ll encourage you to do so. I want you to be out there living your best life Fumi-chan. Now that you can you should have that free will to do what you want. I know that you’ve been through a lot but now’s the time to actually be a teenager and have a good time with people that aren’t your family.” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face getting out my science notebook.

“You could use the same advice my darling you haven’t even had your best day ever officially yet. I might have been sheltered throughout the vast majority of my life but I still had fun memories there. They don’t outweigh the bad but I want to give you your best day ever.” He nuzzled the side of my neck, sighing happily.

“I think I’m having the best day ever today. I might be having a lot of those days in the future. Mostly because I’ve got you to call mine.” I blushed a bright pink but couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped me.

“I’m just now realizing how extremely easy you are Kakeru. I’m not complaining or anything, it's just something that I’ve come to notice.” He stuck his tongue out at me and I couldn’t help the giggle that left me.

“I might be slightly easy but that’s just because you’re so special to me. I’ve never felt this way about anybody. You were the last person that I was expecting to be my new desk neighbor.” Mr. Tatsuya entered the classroom carrying a bunch of equipment.

“Who’s ready to start some experiments?!” He asked our class and me and Kakeru were the only ones that cheered while the rest of the class groaned.

“Oh come on class, you’re going to have a lot of fun just let it all happen. I can’t wait to get you all to learn some new things you’ll have a great time. Alright since Manabe and Sohma were the only ones that cheered they get to go first and pick out their beakers.” I went to the front of the class dusting off my skirt. 

“For you milady.” My boyfriend gave an over exaggerated bow and the class just laughed at him. I felt my cheeks start to turn a bright shade but I also couldn’t help but fall even deeper for the boy in front of me.

“Thank you my knight.” I kissed his cheek mentally cheering when I got some revenge coming my way thankfully because I was starting to think that things were just slightly off balance.

“Now isn’t that just the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see you two develop and grow both in your relationship and in science.” Our teacher joked and I pulled my hair up into a ponytail just in case we were working with chemicals today that could get into my hair. I saw my boyfriend look at my hair with a pout on his face.

“Don’t worry goofball I’ll put it back down once the classroom is over. I just didn’t want to get chemicals in it or something since it’s really long.” I smiled softly shaking my head wondering what was such a big deal about my hair it was just hair.

“I like it long, it just kind of suits you. I like it flowing behind you or when you laugh and it just kinda flutters.” I blushed a bright pink at Kakeru’s realization, putting my head in my hands for a second.

“Sorry did I take it too far? I’ll try to reign it in, I can’t promise that it won’t happen again.” I shook my head peaking my blue eyes over at my lab partner.

“No you didn’t go too far I just got super flustered that I don’t really know or understand why it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.” Kakeru just smiled softly at me taking my hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. 

“Hopefully you’ll tell me if I go overboard and I say something that you don’t like. Promise me that you will?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face sitting back in my chair as I felt the color start to leave my cheeks.

“I promise I will only if you promise me that you’ll do the same for me. If I ever get to clingy just tell me I’m sure that it will happen at some point.” My boyfriend kissed my cheek and I smiled softly at him. Mr. Takuya took the front and center stage writing on his board. 

“We are starting things off easy, I have given you two bottles of soda for each person one if to drink later but the other is to put this mento in. Who has tried this before?” Kakeru raised his hand but I just kept mine down since I never had the opportunity to do this in the past. I’ve decided to stick with coke but I do have other options in this fridge right here. We are going to take these outside to work on them out there. So come on young scientists we’re going on a field trip!!” I laughed at our science teacher following him outside next to my lab partner buttoning up the coat that was next to my chair.

“It makes me feel like Okabe Rintaru in Steins Gate.” I joked and my boyfriend just laughed openly at me.

“Such a cute little nerd…” He teased and I laughed a little bit at my boyfriend. I followed the rest of the class through the hallways and out to the schoolyard where we could blow up some cans of soda.

“I am a nerd and damn proud of it. If I wasn’t a nerd I wouldn’t be me and you happen to like me.” I joked and he put his arm around my shoulders dropping my hand for a second pulling me into the warmth of his body.

“Your darn skippy I like you!! I wouldn’t change anything about you. Okay, favorite non-Miyazaki anime film and go.” He told me and I laughed a little bit, actually having an answer to this question.

“My brother and I went to go and see this movie like seven times in movie theaters. It was Your Name it was so beautiful and we just couldn’t seem to stop wanting to go. On weekends we were allowed to go wherever we wanted to off grounds and that’s what we usually did. He always indulged my love of anime and film so if I wanted to go and see something again he would always go with me. It’s one of the reasons that we’re so close to this very day.” I loved talking about the ideas of Kimi No Na Wa. It was one of the most memorable theater experiences that I had ever had and just thinking about it brought a tear to my eye. 

“I love that movie. I took Machi to see it with me too!! It was one of the few times that she ever cried watching anything that I took her to. I can totally see you and your brother bouncing on the balls of your feet in front of your favorite movie theater and it’s adorable. Did you usually take Haru with you?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face playing with the ends of my ponytail.

“No he usually spent his weekends with Lin. I used to have to sneak him into her isolation room when I was younger because he wanted to see her. Me and my uncles have been shipping them for as long as I can remember it’s just been a running gag. My uncle Shigure and I beat over what will make Lin flustered. It’s probably a really bad habit to get into but we love messing with her. We’re family, we're allowed to tease her.” I shrugged and my boyfriend laughed at me openly.

“That sounds actually supremely adorable. I can totally see you sneaking Haru past the older ladies when you were kids to get him and Lin together. I’ll bet that they are still those two that so clearly love each other if they got their heads out of their asses long enough to notice that the other person had feelings for them they’d really be happy.” I made the correct buzzer sound with my mouth and filled my little liter of soda up.

“You hit the nail on the head my knight, like seriously this was them last night.” I showed him the picture that I had taken of them cuddling on the sectional in our living room.

“I can’t wait to cuddle you like that but that is almost the cutest thing I’ve ever seen second to you.” I blushed but couldn’t help the image of warmth that it brought me. The idea of being held tenderly the same way that Haru had always held Lin well it was always something that I wanted but was afraid to admit to myself.

“I-I would like that very much. It’s something that I’ve always thought about in the back of my mind but never thought that I’d actually get.” I waited for Mr. Takuya to give the signal that we could drop our mentos into our soda.

“I tend to fall asleep really easily, it’s something that has always happened ever since I was a kid. When I stopped being so driven to take charge of the company and just stopped caring about that it kind of got even worse. So when I do hold you like this once we get to my apartment just know you probably won’t be able to move for some time. I’m kind of a clingy sleeper.” I blushed an even deeper shade of red at that thought but I couldn’t help but love the idea.

“I won’t mind as long as you don’t if I sometimes draw you. I don’t draw people a whole lot but you’re adorable so it might happen.” I mentioned just briefly and he scooted a little bit closer to me.

“You think I’m adorable?” He asked pointing to himself and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“And cute, funny, comforting, charming, flirty and about every other adjective that’s good.” I played with my index fingers pressing them together and he smiled at me when Takuya blew the whistle. I dropped my mento into my soda and watched as it gushed out soda from all ends. I stuck my tongue out hoping to catch some of the cola on my tongue and laughed when Kakeru shook his and then added the mento for a much better soda fountain spray.

“Nice work Manabe and Sohma!!” Mr. Takuya complimented handing me a can of strawberry soda that I gratefully took. 

“Thanks Mr. Takuya!!” I thanked him, popping the can open and taking my first sip sighing at the flavors as they hit my tongue.

“By the way what you just said was so cute I think I’m dead…” Kakeru leaned against me dramatically and I laughed at my boyfriend.

“If you’re dead then who’s going to take me on that date next weekend?” I teased and I could see the sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

“I’m just kidding. I've been brought back to life by a goddess.” I blushed a bright pink rolling my eyes at his antics.

“I don’t think I’m a goddess but if you do well, more power to you.” He put his arms around my waist pulling me closer to him.

“Well I happen to think that you are so you can’t fight me on this because I swear you will lose Fumi-chan. I don’t want to start a debate with you, especially one that’s as silly as this.” He reminded me soothing a hand down my side and I melted into the backwards hug.

“I’ve never really felt like I was a goddess. I mean uncle Aya will call me one when I have the right dress on. But usually I don’t wear dresses. I look like a nerd on most days.” I was feeling this little nugget of self doubt in the back of my head but Kakeru just smiled down at me.

“Then you’ll look like my goddess of nerd. I can’t think of a better one.” I smiled lovingly at the fact that he was able to read my mind so well. I had so much crippling self doubt and anxiety that I almost couldn’t fathom why he was with me. Then it hit me. He must have seen something in me that I couldn’t. Something special and amazing, everything that I saw in him.

“I can live with that.” I entwined my fingers with his feeling the warmth and weight of his hand grounding me.

“Good, I know that this won’t be the last vestiges of self doubt that you have inside of you but just know that I’ll always see the good in you. The things that are amazing and beautiful. Everything that you can’t see I can and trust me when I say that your true self it’s stunning.” I heard the bell ring for lunch and I stood up cracking my knuckles a little bit.

“Sorry bad habit that I picked up from too many hours around Haru. My hands get kind of stiff I know that some people think it’s gross.” I apologized but my boyfriend just took one of my hands and pressed a gentle kiss to the knuckle.

“It’s really not that bad I mean it was a little bit scary but you can do things like that around me if it makes you feel better.” I smiled softly at the fact that Kakeru was so amazing as a boyfriend and a partner.

“Thank you for accepting that part of me. The older ladies used to always get on my case about it claiming that it wasn’t ladylike.” I laughed a little bit letting my hair down and free. I heard the happy contented sigh behind me.

“Back the way that I like it.” He put his arm around my shoulders and I snuggled a little bit deeper into his side as we walked back inside together.

“I still don’t get it, it’s just my hair. But if it makes you happy I’ll leave it down around you as often as I can. Except for nice dates when I wear a dress.” I told him poking his cheek gently. I could see the adoring gaze that he was sending me and it made me feel confident and wanted just the way that I was. 

“What’s your favorite dress that you have in your closet?” I showed him the picture of my favorite dress that my uncle had made for me last year for my birthday.

“It’s an Alice In Wonderland themed dress, one of the other few Disney movies that my dad let me watch growing up. The top of it says curiouser and curiouser in gold. My uncle sewed it for my last birthday and I wear it whenever I can. I know that he spent a lot of time working on it and that’s what makes it even more special to me.” I showed him the picture of the beautiful dress that my uncle had worked hard to make me. 

“It’s so cute!! That’s it screw the Pinky And The Brain sweater I want you to wear for the arcade date if you want to. Sorry I didn’t mean to pressure you.” He apologized realizing that he had just put his foot in his mouth. 

“Oh I’m wearing it now not for you but because I have an excuse to wear it now. Just know that my hair will have some sort of style. I haven’t decided what yet but it won’t be down.” I warned him and he laughed a little bit at me. I knew that this dress was too upper class for an arcade but it wasn’t like I cared. I wanted to look cute for my boyfriend and I didn’t see any problems with that.

“Here I’ll take your lab coat, you go and meet up with your friends.” I kissed Kakeru’s cheek waving to him as I went down the stairs to Tohru, Hana-chan and Uo-chan’s homeroom class. I opened the front door to the classroom and Uo-chan waved to me.

“Yo lovesick over here!!” I laughed at my best friend coming to sit with her and Tohru passed me a bento that she had made for me.

“Don’t call her that Uo-chan she’s happy!! How is your day going Fumi-chan?” She asked me and I opened my box seeing that she had made me another white Totoro bento.

“I’ve been having an absolutely amazing day. Thank you for asking Tohru. I still feel like I’m kinda dreaming right now. Kakeru is so amazing…” I sighed and Uo-chan just smiled softly at me bumping her foot with mine.

“Oi don’t rub it in!! Some of us are still single.” I laughed openly at her pushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“Here you go as well Fumi-chan, I’ve got more food for you today since you look like you haven’t eaten much today.” Hana-chan told me and I looked into her bag taking another two bags of meat, cheese and fruits as well as fruit snacks that were going to be my midnight snack tonight when I was finishing my homework.

“Are you sure that’s going to be enough? I have a lot more food in my bag. I eat a lot usually so I’m happy to share with you.” I looked into her bag finding some kettle corn and what looked to be a delicious cupcake.

“Sorry I have a sweet tooth, I should probably continue working out. I don’t want to get too flabby.” I felt Hana-chan squeeze my hand with a small smile on her face. She looked at me like she was a little bit worried about me. 

“Honey you’re allowed to eat whatever you want and you can gain weight that you’ve lost. You look skinnier than a stick.” She told me for what felt like the millionth time. Tohru nodded her head with a bright smile on her face.

“We just want for you to be healthy and happy so we’re going to do whatever it takes to make you happy.” I put my snacks into my book bag so that I could use them later that night. I loved that I could talk about these things with some people even though they were kind of awkward subject matters.

“Thank you for offering to share your food with me Hana-chan they always look so good.” I told her and she squeezed my hand with a small smile on her face.

“You’re very much welcome Fumi-chan. So when is your first date going to be? Do you need something to wear?” I shook my head with a small smile eating the rolled omelets and sighing a little bit. This food was so perfect and I really needed to get these recipes from Tohru so I could make them myself.

“I don’t need anything to wear. It’s next Saturday and I’m wearing my Alice In Wonderland dress. The only question is what to do with my hair. I know he loves it down but it kinda gets in my way and it would look less put together if I were to pear that with the dress.” I showed them all pictures of the dress that I wanted to be wearing.

“Maybe you should try to put your hair curled?” Uo-chan recommended and I nodded my head enthusiastically. 

“Do you have a pink bow that you can put in your hair as well?” I tapped my fingers trying to figure out if I had bows of that color.

“I think so? I have a lot of hair bows so it’s kind of hard for me to remember if I have a pink one. I have a lot of red ones.” I snapped remembering that I had a hot pink bow that I could put in the back of my hair.

“I’ll bet that you’ll be absolutely beautiful on that first date. You’ll really blow him away Fumi-chan!!” Tohru encouraged me and I took the first bite of the baby octopus with a small smile on my face.

“I’ll bet that you two will be happy for a while, I can just tell. I didn’t really have the best love influence in my life but you’re already leagues happier than my mom and old man were.” I sighed a little bit, putting down my lunch for a second.

“I want to be with him for a long time. I know that. It sounds crazy but he’s just everything that I always wanted to have when I was a little girl. I used to daydream when I was younger about everything that I wanted in a future partner. I’m just scared at this point that he’s going to realize that I’m not as amazing and perfect as he claims that I am.” Uo-chan knocked her shoe with mine and I looked up at her.

“To him, those things that you think about yourself they don’t fucking matter to him. All he knows is how beautiful he thinks you are. I know that it’s kind of a lot for you to take in mostly because you weren’t expecting to meet him now. But you did and he’s completely besotted by you. So I say that you should just treasure him and not let him get away anytime soon.” She recommended it and I felt my heart give a tug as I thought about Kakeru’s smile.

“Oh sweetheart…” Hana-chan squeezed my hand with a small smile on her face. Tohru looked at me with a teary eyed expression.

“I think that Manabe might be the one that you love for the rest of your life. I love watching you two joking around and seeing you both in music class just talking quietly with one another. I think that if it could happen with my mom at this age with my dad then it’s bound to happen with just about anybody!!” She encouraged and I felt my eyes fill with tears at the fact that they were all so encouraging of my love life.

“I wasn’t kidding earlier though, if he hurts you it’s death time.” Uo-chan cracked her knuckles and I threw my head back laughing at her. 

“I’m sure that he won’t hurt me Uo-chan but thank you for your protectiveness. I can handle myself just fine though as you are aware. My sensei is able to give me my black belt ceremony at my uncle’s house since I’m not allowed back at the main house ever again.” I fluffed up the ends of my hair with a small smile on my face finishing my lunchbox.

“Hey that’s hella awesome!! We should have a party to celebrate afterwards maybe like the day after because belt ceremonies are usually meant for families. Especially one like your’s where everyone is super close.” Uo-chan gave me her fist to pound and I did my own explosion noise much like I did with Haru. 

“That’s really cool Fumi-chan you’re going to be an actual black belt. I can't get you a little present for it!!” My heart warmed and I couldn’t believe that this was my family. They were my close friends that I had made.

“You don’t need to get me anything. Tohru I really don’t need anything.” I protested and she just shook her head at me.

“You’ve been working towards this for a long time haven’t you?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Since I was five, I started around the same time that Kyo did. My cousin Kyo’s foster dad runs the dojo and his dad is basically a third uncle of mine. I spent a lot of my childhood at his house with Kyo and we’re super close. He’s a little bit of a firecracker at first but once you get to know him he’s actually really amazing. I wonder if our ceremonies will be combined? I might have to call sensei and ask him. Kyo hasn’t gotten his black belt yet either…” I trailed off knowing that I would probably call my old sensei tomorrow before I left for the sleepover.

“He might have done that on purpose then if you’re really as close as you say you are.” Hana-chan encouraged me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

“We are indeed most of my childhood; we spent too much time together as children. When I first started to learn how to fight with him it was kind of hard for me to pick a fight with him but once I figured out how to not hurt him I actually learned to love to fight. It was so much fun for me mostly because it was difficult for me to stick with it. I’m so glad that I did though because soon after Haru joined.” I did a playful punch to the air and my girlfriends laughed a little bit at me. Hana-chan leaned against my side a little bit and I smiled softly at her.

“It kind of gives you that power right? I felt the same way when I was learning it myself but I had to stop at purple belt because my old man couldn’t afford lessons anymore for me.” My heart broke for Uo-chan who so clearly loved the sport of karate. If I could talk my sensei into giving her private lessons maybe he would do it? He always offered to give lessons to anybody who wanted them, even people outside of the family. He was just that type of person. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that Uo-chan. It did make me feel better since I was supposed to just kinda be this weak girl but when I found that I could be as badass as I wanted to.” The bell rang above my head and I grabbed my messenger bag.

“I will see you ladies tomorrow for the sleepover!!” I waved to them and went back up the stairs finding that my boyfriend was almost falling asleep at his desk. I let out this soft sound of pleasure at the fact that he was just the cutest thing that I had ever seen in my entire life. I pulled my chair out not trying to bother him. I took the bag out and looked at my boyfriend next to me. He had fallen asleep at his desk and I resided myself to taking notes for him while he took a nap. I knew that he had probably been up half of the night texting me. I took out my bag of snacks to munch on since I was still hungry from lunch. I left the bag of meat, cheese, fruit and bread for Kakeru, slipping it into his backpack. I also gave him the cupcake that I had gotten from Hana-chan’s bag.

“Fumi-chan you’re so beautiful…” I heard him mutter in his sleep and I blushed a bright pink but couldn’t contain my joy that I was feeling. He woke up a little bit and stretched his arms above his head.

“I think you’ve got your facts a bit wrong there. How was lunch with your sister?” I asked him and he cracked a small lazy smile.

“It was good, she told me that she was happy that I had found somebody who was able to put up with my stupidity.” I laughed at my boyfriend fixing my hair a little bit. It was remarkable when I thought about it how these two totally different people were related to each other.

“That sounds like something that she would say. When you told me that you haven’t always bene that close to her and you’re still trying to bridge that gap I wouldn’t give up. I feel like uncle Aya is struggling to close that gap with my cousin Yuki. They’re ten years apart and I’ve always kind of wondered if he was closer to me because he isn’t as close with Yuki. I know that he wants to be and that Yuki just doesn’t want anything to do with him. I know it eats at my uncle a lot. I guess what I’m saying is don’t give up.” I went the extremely long winded way of explaining this to my boyfriend but he just listened to me.

“Believe me I’m nothing if I’m not persistent. I know she probably thinks I’m really annoying but I’d rather her think than be indifferent towards me like I was once towards her.” I smiled softly thinking about just how alike him and my uncle really were.

“My uncle once told me the exact same thing about himself and Yuki. I’ve never been indifferent towards Momiji but I can kind of get it? I think the two of us are too much alike to not be extremely close.” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and Kakeru went through his backpack smiling at me when he saw the cupcake and other bag full of salty savory goodies.

“Your brother and you are kinda lucky in that regard plus it was a choice right? You were old enough to make that decision?” I nodded my head remembering when I was six and my dad sat me down explaining to me how Momiji’s mother wanted to have her memories erased of her son. At first I couldn’t even believe that it was possible. How could a woman want to forget her son voluntarily? I was too young to really think it clearly back then but she must have been really suffering like my mom was.

“I was six when Momiji came into the family and he was five. He’s a year younger than me so he’s in his second year at a boy’s only middle school. I was never really close with him until we had to be siblings. But once we did he kind of never left my side. Kyo hated it because he’s almost always found Momi to be the annoying pest.” I laughed a little bit thinking about all the times when we were kids and my brother would constantly get on Kyo’s last nerve.

“Do you have any pictures of you both as kids?” Kakeru asked me excitedly and I nodded my head, filtering through my phone and finding one. It was Halloween where I had been Satsuki and my brother was Mei, the siblings from My Neighbor Totoro.

“Oh my freak look at you!! That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life!! You were so cute when you were younger, not that you weren’t now but now it’s just you’re beautiful but this is different.” I couldn’t help but laugh at my boyfriend and his over exaggerated nature of talking about me and my brother.

“We’ve always done things like that for Halloween a few years later we did a gender bent version of San and Ashitaka, he called dibs on the wolf goddess.” I joked seeing if I could find a picture of that one since my uncle had really gone all out on my costume.

“My hair was shorter than you so you might not like this one as much. I had to cut it for the Satsuki one because I wanted to be as movie accurate as possible. And then grew it back out but two years ago we did the Mononoke thing and my hair hasn’t been cut since. I kind of prefer it to be long much like you.” I explained the picture and I could see the smile on Kakeru’s face.

“I really love that one too!! Did you learn how to use the bow and arrow?” I nodded my head playing with the ends of my hair.

“I wanted to be as movie accurate as possible so I did learn how to shoot. I learned with Lin actually it was one of the few sports that she could do from her chair.” I remembered the first time that Lin had ever shot an arrow and how proud she had been of herself. It almost brought a tear to my eye now that I remembered it. She had never been that successful with sports but shooting arrows had always been one of the few pastimes that she had.

“I think it’s really cool that you spent so much of your childhood curled up with a Miyazaki film in the background. It’s different but also it suits you because you have this sense of imagination and wonder about you when you get to talk about them. I’d gladly listen to you talk for hours even though I’ve only ever seen Totoro, Kiki and Howl’s Moving Castle.” I gaped at Kakeru knowing that this would need to be rectified immediately.

“Those are three amazing films but I’ll show you all of them. How have you not seen Spirited Away?! I can’t wait to share these movies with you.” I smiled brightly at him and I could see the sparkle of happiness in his eyes.

“I can’t wait then.” He promised me squeezing my hand and I felt my heart start to beat a little bit faster. The bell rang and people started to file in that weren’t in the classroom already and Mrs. Tupling gave us our last lecture of the day. As I listened and took notes on what we were discussing she pulled down a map of the world.

“I have one last little challenge for our new student. Because she grew up with Animaniacs and I’ve been teaching you kids geography I want to see if she can do all the countries of the world that’s up to date.” This would be a little bit trickier but I also knew that I could do anything that I put my mind to. I grabbed her pointer and I started with the obvious one.

_ “United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Heiti, Jamaica, Peru, Republic Dominican, Cuba, Caribbean, Greenland, El Salvador too.”  _ I could feel the little bit of anxiety that was on the crest as I got towards the end since this was all the new countries that hadn’t existed back when the song was first released.

_ “Montenegro and Baznia, Hertzigovina, the Soviet Union is gone, South Africa, Gorigeia, Moldavia, Latvia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan hey, Kazakhstan hey, then there’s Tersehekten too, Turkmenistan woo, Kurdistan, Armenia, Tanga Paulo, Lithuania, Serbia, Kosovo, US Soma, the Balkans Brunei, Mccowan Crimea, then Eritrea, Ukraine Estonia, here’s Macedonian, New Caledonia, Eastern Bonilla, Ivory Coast and Cape Verde under the Solomon Islands, Dubai!! Goodbye.”  _ I had never been very good with geography even after my love of this show had hit an all time high so I was a little bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to hit the right countries with the pointer but watching the class stare at me sort of wide eyed I knew that I had done something right for once in my life. I couldn’t be happier at the fact that I was finally being accepted for who I was. Nobody outside of my family had ever indulged me in my passions before Mrs. Tupling gave me that power.

“Great job Fumi-chan!! I’m not surprised in the slightest obviously Animaniacs stuff is going to be your strong suit but that’s great because they taught kids a lot in their day. I wasn’t expecting for you to be able to name all of the new countries as well. How did you do that?” I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck.

“Well the voice actor did a Ted Talk late last year and with that he sang an updated version of Yakko’s Nations Of The World. I’ve idolized Yakko’s voice actor, a man named Rob Paulsen for a majority of my life. Once I was able to put a voice with his name he was the first one I really looked at differently. Performing songs from the show has always given me some kind of high. I apologize if I seem like a show off or know it all. It’s just I learned a lot through cartoons so they helped me be educated.” I explained to my classmates just so that none of them grew to hate me eventually.

“We don’t think that you’re a know it all Fumi-chan!! We think that you’re amazing!!” One of the girls in the front row encouraged me and I felt my cheeks start to pink a little bit.

“O-Oh well that’s very nice of you to say that to me. I was just apologizing because sometimes I think I can kind of seem like I know it all.” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and Mrs. Tupling filtered around her closest clearly looking for something.

“I might have asked the head office about what your size shirt is because I saw this and thought that you would just love it.” She handed me a receipt and I looked at the shirt that was a bright red color, my favorite color that said  _ It Might Look Like I’m Listening To You But In My Head I’m Listening To Yakko’s Nations Of The World. _

“I-I don’t know how to thank you for this Mrs. Tupling. Thank you so much for this. I love it!!” I thanked her and she just shook her head at me with a small smile on her face.

“I wanted to get it for you because you mentioned how much this show means to you. It’s obvious that you paid a lot of attention to it growing up which helped your development later on in life. Those songs taught you something and they reached you in the same way that I’m trying to get it to reach these kids.” She gestured to the class and I laughed a little bit at her pushing a lock of dark hair behind my ear. The bell rang and I hugged my boyfriend tightly.

“Hey, hey it’s okay, I’m so proud of you for getting up there!! You must have been so nervous but you went and did it anyway. That’s what makes you so amazing Fumi-chan. Even though you get nervous and you get scared about doing certain things you never let that get in your way of amazing everybody. You might have to show me that video on our way to my apartment.” I felt Kakeru pull back from the hug to rest his forehead against mine.

“I was so scared that I would mess up because I’ve never been very good with geography even though that song does help a lot. I’m better at Wakko’s Capitals. I can’t wait to perform that one for the showcase.” He smiled softly at me nuzzling his nose against mine taking my messenger bag and I strapped it over my shoulder.

“Bye Mrs. Tupling!! Thank you again!!” I thanked her and she just smiled at me giving me a thumbs up from her desk chair.

“You’re very much welcome Fabulous Fumi-chan!! Hmm I kinda like that…” She trailed off and I laughed a little bit at her.

“She sometimes calls me mischievous Manabe. I've just kind of gotten used to her eccentric ness at this point. Can I see the shirt she bought for you?” I nodded my head finding the receipt in my bag.

“You’re going to look adorable in it, well you’d look adorable in anything but that’s besides the point.” I laughed at my boyfriend entwining my fingers with his and giving them a loving squeeze.

“I’m glad that you think so, so I do love fashion. I blame my uncle for that one. He was the one that raised me to have an appreciation for it. Plus he showed me that it could be something fun. Wearing something that he made for me always makes me happy. Probably because I know how hard he worked on it.” I knew that most girls were in love with fashion but for me it was something different. It wasn’t just looking pretty to me it was about having my armor on. I didn’t feel comfortable unless I had something that my uncle had made for me. I took my necklace out of my shirt putting it on the outside since jewelry usually wasn’t allowed.

“Oh that’s beautiful!! Did your uncle have that made for you?” I nodded my head showing him the cape that uncle Shi had taken pictures of the other day.

“He did have it made for me. I’m not quite sure where he got it done but I’m absolutely one hundred percent in love with it.” Kakeru looked at my necklace with a small smile on his face walking next to me.

“I can’t wait to meet your uncle. He seems like the total type of person that you would follow around like a little duckling when you were little carrying fabric for him.” I laughed a little bit at his analogy since he wasn’t really wrong.

“I did exactly that. I was his assistant before Mine came around. I would carry fabric for him even if I was really clumsy as a little girl. He made sure that I was alright every time and his house had lots of Pink And The Brain bandaids that he had made for me. My favorite one was one that had Narf on it.” My boyfriend laughed at my story and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“Oh my god, you were probably the cutest thing when you were that age. I can see it in the back of my head and it’s too pure for words.” I laughed at Kakeru shaking my head at him pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I probably was adorable. My dad and uncles were always telling me so. I wish I could have met you at that age. I'll bet that you were even cuter at that age.” I reminded him knowing that he wasn’t ever going to live this fight down. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to my uncle on Sunday even if it would be embarrassing.

“I know I wish I could have been your first friend when you really needed one. But hey, I met you and I’m not complaining about that. Are you excited for the orchestra club?” I looked over at my boyfriend seeing that protectiveness that had been lingering there for most of the day.

“I’m super excited for orchestra club on Monday!! I can’t wait to start performing those iconic songs with you it’s going to be a lot of fun for me.” He held the door open to the front of the school for me. I felt my heart start to melt when he playfully bowed in front of me.

“After you milady.” He joked and I couldn’t help this overwhelming feeling of wanting to kiss him. He was so cute and adorable and I just couldn’t stop myself anymore or hold myself back anymore.

“Kakeru… can I ask you something?” He cradled my face with a small smile on his face. I could see the emotions that were swimming there.

“What do you need Fumi-chan?” He asked me and I loved the fact that I had all of the power in this relationship. It was on my terms and I didn’t need to be forced into anything.

“Can I kiss you?” It felt like in that moment every romantic comedy I had ever watched had turned around. Usually it was the guy asking if he could kiss the girl. I know that he was trying to go at my own pace but this was something that I genuinely wanted. It wasn’t of forced nature it was something that I never knew I needed much like the boy in front of me.

“Are you sure? Because once I do I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to stop and I don’t want to push you or make you uncomfortable.” I smiled at my boyfriend struggling to stand on my tiptoes and just give him a little brief kiss. Just a whisper of one really to let him know how much I wanted this.

“I don’t want you to hold yourself back from me either. I get that you were trying to do the right thing for me and thank you for that. But I really want you to kiss me. This isn’t me feeling pressured. This is me being needy.” I tried to joke but when he leaned down to give me a proper kiss this time all thoughts abandoned me. It felt like Belle’s first kiss with the Beast with all of those fireworks going off in the background that brought the castle back to it’s former glory.

“Wow…” My boyfriend pulled back from the kiss with a stunned expression on his face and I hugged him tightly.

“Thank you for that Kakeru that was beautiful.” I felt tears start to escape my eyes and he just thumbed them away with a small smile on his face.

“Don’t cry beautiful, it's alright. Was that good?” He asked me with a joking smirk and I just laughed at him rolling my eyes.

“Not that you need a bigger ego but yes it was “good”. It was better than good. It felt like and this is going to sound so nerdy but I’m past the point of giving a crap. It felt like what I thought Belle’s first kiss with the Beast was like at the end of the movie. With all the fireworks going off that restore the castle to its former glory.” He looked at me with a small smile on his face putting his arm around my shoulders and drawing me into the warmth of his side.

“It wasn’t nerdy that was actually the analogy that I was going to go with but I didn’t want to make you think that I was weirder than you probably already think I am.” I laughed at my boyfriend just elated that I had found my goofball to make me happier than I was.

“I wouldn’t have thought that you were weird Kakeru. I mean come on you know me at this point I’m really out there.” I joked and my boyfriend just rested his cheek on my head. The height difference was a little bit troublesome and it would probably only get worse the older we got together. But the more I thought about when I closed my eyes and saw my boyfriend three years down the line my heart nearly gave out at the gorgeous images that were conspiring there. 

“You are not. I consider you unique and beautiful in your own special way. Come on milady I’ll pay for your ice cream.” He told me and I walked beside him with a small smile on my face. I took out my phone so that I could take a picture of us together.

“Would you mind taking a selfie with me so that I could send it to my brother?” I knew that my little brother would never let me be if I didn’t send him a pick of the two of us together.

“I’ll take it Fumi-chan!!” He told me to take my phone and smile when he saw that my phone case was the Warner siblings.

“Why am I not surprised in the slightest that’s so you though and it’s super cute.” He flipped the camera around and I smiled shyly at the camera. My boyfriend took one of them with him kissing my cheek and I blushed a bright pink.

“And that’s a new wallpaper for my phone yep that’s going to happen and you’re going to have to deal with it.” I smiled at my boyfriend’s flirty chaotic nature taking the just normal picture and sending it to my brother.

_ Me: Soo I might have made it official with Kakeru and we’re dating now…  _ I put my phone back in my purse after texting the picture that Kakeru wanted to him.

“Just know that I will get you back for that in some way.” I threatened half heartedly knowing that I wasn’t serious. I went back to my original position of me snuggled up against his side and I took in the scent of oranges, deodorant and something that was distinctly my boyfriend that I was already addicted to.

“You might try but I think you like me too much to actually want to get me back.” He joked and I laughed a little bit at him because he wasn’t technically wrong.

“I can’t wait to show you Skeleton Twins. That's one of my favorite movies to watch with other people. I’m watching it with the girls tomorrow but I’ll have to bring it with me for one of our future dates. I think I’ll be more comfortable with at home dates than ones in public…” I trailed off and Kakeru just kissed my forehead.

“Whatever makes you comfortable milady. I’ll do it for you. I mean at home movie dates, cuddles and pizza? That sounds like my idea of heaven right there.” I giggle a little bit at my boyfriend wondering where I would be right now if I hadn’t met him on Wednesday. It was my own Disney romance but I wasn’t complaining. I would need to watch more of their romance films now that I was older.

“Include popcorn and candy and you’ve got yourself a deal. I want to show you all the Miyazaki films that you’ve missed out on as well.” My boyfriend grinned down at me as we stopped at a red light.

“It will have both options because I know how to keep my girl happy. I can’t wait for you to show me that part of your life. As long as I can show you all of the Disney movies that you’ve missed out on so that things can be more even.” I laughed at him a little bit nodding my head since now I had a movie buddy.

“I also don’t want to get in the way of your life with your friends. You should still have your sleepovers and your girl time away from me. It won’t be healthy if we’re too codependent on each other. I’ve seen a lot of couples burn out thanks to that and I really don’t want to lose you that way.” He reminded me and I melted into the warmth of my boyfriend with a small smile on my face.

“As far as I can tell you aren’t going to lose me any time soon Kakeru. I love being around you, you’re amazing. I do love my girlfriends too but I wouldn’t want to date any of them. I don’t think I’ll ever want to lose you in this way either.” Kakeru laughed at me a little bit at my jab at my girl friends that were just the slightest bit intimidating other than Tohru who was just a sweetheart angel.

“I think you’ve got the amazing one backwards baby…” My heart melted at the pet name and I felt my cheeks start to turn a bright pink color.

“Aha!! I’ve found another nickname that you like.” He bragged and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“You’re ridiculous sometimes Kakeru. I mean I love the ridiculousness but at the same time I don’t know what goes through your head nor do I really want to.” He staggered a little bit, grabbing his heart.

“You hurt me milady, why are your words so cruel.” I laughed at my boyfriend sticking my tongue out at him.

“Sorry if that was kinda pushing it I didn’t mean to. Usually I just make those kinds of snarky well meaning jabs at people I love in my life.” He smiled at me nuzzling my cheek with his and I caught the little glimpse of adoration in his gaze.

“Don’t apologize my darling Fumi-chan you’re just getting more used to having me in your life.” I smiled lovingly at him leaning my head further against his shoulder. He kissed my nose gently and I just laughed at him.

“That’s true I guess I didn’t think of it that way. I do love to be around you though. It just feels kind of different like I can finally be myself around somebody.” He held the door open for me at the ice cream shop and this instant wave of cold yet sugary sweet hit me. I looked at all the different flavors that were around me and they were all coated with candy.

“You can try any of them that you want to. Just try whichever one looks good to you milady.” Kakeru told me and he kissed my cheek with a small smile on his face. I looked at all the different flavors that were around me.

“Can I try the cookie monster?” I asked the woman behind the counter and she nodded her head with a small smile.

“You’ve come with a good customer. He's been coming here for most of his life.” She joked and gave me a little spoon as the flavors hit my tongue. I couldn’t help the startled sound of pleasure that left me.

“Holy… that’s really amazing!! I’d like that one please in a waffle cone.” I told her and the shopkeeper just laughed a little bit at me.

“I’ll have my usual thanks Delilah.” He thanked her and I laughed a little bit at my boyfriend as he nuzzled his nose against me.

“Anytime kiddo, where’d you meet this lovely young lady?” She got my ice cream and I took it from her taking one of the Oreos at the end.

“She’s my beautiful desk neighbor at school and my new girlfriend.” Delilah cheered for him and I could see that she did really love my boyfriend.

“I’m proud of you kiddo you definitely look happier with this one than your last girlfriend. He’s a bit of the mischief maker but you’ll get used to it.” She winked at me and Kakeru paid for my ice cream and clinked it with what he just bought.

“She’s super embarrassing but she means well. She’s one of my mom’s best friends and was one of the most encouraging when my personality sort of changed.” Kakeru gave me a bit of background as to how he had met the kind woman that ran the shop.

“I’m glad that you had people behind you when you wanted to be your true self. I’m sorry that you felt like you couldn’t be your insanely lovable self from day one. That must have been insanely exhausting for you to have to deal with.” I apologized for all that he had to go through and he just held my hand with the hand that wasn’t eating his ice cream.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, my mom sorta took some time getting used to it and my dad still refuses to acknowledge the fact that I exist but hey nothing that I’m not used to on that action.” He tried to joke but I could see right through that facade.

“You don’t have to pretend that you’re happy around me. You know that right? I like you for you Kakeru not the person that you think you need to be around me.” I reminded him and he just grinned back at me.

“Course I know that milady I’m not faking anything around you. I don’t think I could ever not be happy around you. Alright favorite artist when you were a little kid and go?” He snapped his fingers and I laughed a little bit at him.

“I really loved Cat Stevens when I was a baby. My dad used to play him. Apparently he was my mom’s favorite. I still love a lot of his songs but I didn’t pick any of them for his songs because I didn’t want to bring back any memories that he didn’t want.” My boyfriend squeezed my hand encouragingly with a small smile on his face.

“I know some of his stuff but not a whole lot. Growing up I used to love Tom Petty who is my mom’s favorite artist. It’s why I picked Southern Accent for one of my songs.” I had been curious about what made him pick that song in particular but it warmed my heart knowing he had that memory of listening to music with his mom.

“I was wondering why you had picked that song above all of his other ones. I listen to a lot of music from America mostly. It's another reason why I know English as much as I do. I sometimes wish that I could play guitar but that’s Lin’s thing.” I toyed with a strand of my hair that wouldn’t stay behind my ear. I took the first official bite of my waffle cone, sighing at the flavors of the fresh waffle cone.

“Usually they’re stale. I don’t think I’ve ever had one that was fresh out of the oven.” My boyfriend laughed a little bit at me and my simple pleasures. 

“I’ll have to take you there more often. She’s always making fresh waffle cones every hour because they sell like nobody’s business.” I smiled softly as Kakeru talked about bringing me back to that same ice cream shop.

“Guitar was really hard for me to master too. It took a lot of my time the first year but I loved it. Playing it gave me that control that I so desperately needed over my life. I always felt like things were out of my hands and like no matter what I did I would never be good enough. It wasn’t my favorite feeling but I’m so happy that I got better before you came along.” My heart broke imagining a younger version of him struggling to grab onto something, anything that seemed real. I wished that I could have done something to help him back then but looking at him now I was amazed that he had gotten himself out.

“I know the feeling of never being good enough and always having these expectations thrown at you. A lot of people really love my dad for all the hard work that he does for the family. I spent most of my childhood wishing that he was less busy. Even though I knew why he was always working it still hurt. The older ladies always trained me to be perfect. I couldn’t mess up and when I did there were always consequences that didn’t fit the crime. Once they took away all my uncle’s clothes that he made for me. They told me that I couldn’t have them back until I deserved them again. Do you know what I did to deserve that?” I didn’t enjoy talking about this time in my life but I figured that he had every right to know.

“I couldn’t interact with the suitor that they had set up for me. This was last year and I just wanted to go home so I could practice my violin or do something for myself. The suitor wasn’t my type at all. He was all macho and manly. That has never been my type, the overly conceited and bragging moronic jerk that I can’t put up with. He was basically Gaston from Beauty And The Beast. That's the best example that I can think of. Anyways so he’s talking about just how amazing he is and I ask him very politely or as nicely as I can in that moment of me trying not to crumble; sir I don’t care how amazing you think that you are I couldn’t give less of a shit. The next day I go into my closet finding it devoid of any color at all. At first I think this is Haru pulling a prank on me but he’s never touched my clothes before. He knows that they are way too important to me. I express myself and my interests through what I wear. So obviously that’s the first place I go in my pajamas because that’s the only thing that wasn't taken and asked him bro what the hell did you do to my wardrobe. He told me that he didn’t do anything but offered me some of the clothes that he had that were Lin’s that were at his house. I put them on and go to my meeting with the main older lady that looked after me there. She told me that she had all my clothes burned and uncle Aya had to start from scratch to remake my wardrobe when I stayed with him.” I really hated this story but it was necessary to bring up because it was a big part of my trauma within the last couple of years. Kakeru’s hand tightened around mine and I looked up at my boyfriend seeing this expression of absolute anger and vengeance on my behalf.

“I can’t be freaking live that they did that to you!! Like who does that to another person?! That’s such shit and I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. You probably lost a lot of clothes though, didn’t you?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face but showed him pictures of my closet now.

“I did but most of the clothes are back. He remembered all of my favorite designs and even made me new ones. He’s still massively over compensating for the fact that I lost those clothes. Every time I see him he has new clothes for me that he wants me to try out. But I love him for everything that he has ever done for me. He made up for the fact that I was mistreated there.” I sighed a little bit, my shoulders scrunching up at the awful memory of losing all those clothes. It seemed like something so petty and valley girl but my sense of style so much comes from what I wear.

“What was the first thing that he remade for you?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit at the memory.

“It was my Satsuki cosplay because it was the easiest thing and I still wear that outfit all the time. It’s so cute, just the little skirt with suspenders and the yellow shirt. It might seem silly but that outfit is still one of my favorites in my closet for just everyday wear.” Kakeru smiled softly at me and I started to relax a little bit more.

“He also made me a soot sprite dress a few months ago that turned out so cute. I always get comments on it whenever I wear it outside. I recommend so many people to his shop whenever I wear his nerdy clothing.” My boyfriend kissed my nose gently as we stopped in front of an old but at the same time cute apartment building.

“Here we are home crap home.” He joked and I laughed at my boyfriend completely getting that reference.

“Money Pit, one of my uncle Shigure’s favorite movies to watch with me when he’s had a bad day.” I went up the stairs with my boyfriend and he stopped on the second floor. I saw him open the door and I smiled softly at the quaint apartment. It reminded me of my uncle’s loft apartment that was above his shop and gave me that same feeling of home and unity.

“I love it!! My uncle has a really similar loft above his shop so I’m used to the quaintness.” He led me to the coach and I sat down next to my boyfriend as I snuggled next to him. I finished my ice cream and I smiled softly at him. He put his arms around my waist and I leaned against him.

“I thought that you would be really affronted by it. I know that it’s not much but it’s home and I actually have my own bedroom here which is more than I can say for some of the places I’ve had to live in before.” My heart broke at the thought of poor little Kakeru scouring for food and a place to rest his head.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Most of the homes in the Sohma family are pretty lavish so I don’t know truly what that’s like. Even now the house I’m living in is huge. The only place that is like this is my uncle’s because he is above his shop.” I loved talking about my childhood in this kind of way because it was a happy memory. It made me feel a lot better than talking about the sadder ones that I was earlier.

“You don’t have to apologize for that Fumi-chan. I mean my father never really paid my mom for keeping me around so we kinda had to work really hard to even get here.” I smiled softly at how hard my boyfriend had to work to get where he was.

“Do you know which Miyazaki movie you want to watch first?” I asked him to melt into the cuddling on the couch. It made me feel so warm and protected. I had never really been held like this except for when I was younger. It was probably why I was so touch starved for affection. Thankfully Kakeru didn’t really seem to care much.

“I want to watch Mononoke. I’ve never seen it, my mom will probably want to watch it with us. She loves his movies.” I smiled softly at the thought of meeting the mother who had raised this incredible person that I was seeing in front of me.

“I would love that!! It’s such an amazing film, he basically animated it all by himself. It was his first retirement after it came out then he came back with Spirited Away which blew everybody’s minds.” I leaned up so I could kiss my boyfriend even though they were sticky and cold from the ice cream I couldn’t have cared less.

“We do have to work though my knight. I promise work gets done then more cuddles. I already told my uncle to not wait up for me with dinner since I didn’t know how long I would be here for.” He pouted at me but got out his notebook anyways but kept his arm around me so that I could stay glued next to him.

“I think that if we work really hard on this until my mom gets back home tonight it should be done for good. That would be nice so we wouldn’t have to worry about it later right?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I could feed off of his enthusiasm for just about everything and be perfectly content for the rest of my life.

“Exactly!! I still think that we should do the best that we can with this project but it’s been great to know that we have the same ideas and everything. Great minds think alike.” I tapped my brain jokingly and Kakeru just leaned back against his couch taking his notebook with him on his lap. I laid back next to him and got out my pencil and just started writing down what sounded good to continue the song.

“Hey, I like that a lot!! I’ve got an idea, you write a line and then I write a line. Equal work it’ll get done faster.” He reminded me and I wrote my line showing it to him and he nodded. It continued like that with us collaborating together until the sun went down and the song was done.

“And that’s how we get teamwork done milady!!” He cheered and I laughed at him kissing his cheek gently.

“I’m proud of you for focusing and getting it done with me, my knight. I know that you would have preferred to cuddle but it needed to get done even though we still have a full week. This just means that we can spend the next week doing whatever after school.” I promised him as he wrapped his arms around me pulling me back against his chest. I knew automatically that this would be my new favorite thing in the universe and that I could spend forever in his arms.

“Ah this is far more like it…” He sighed out and I couldn’t help but laugh at my boyfriend poking his cheek gently.

“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re just obscenely lazy?” He stuck his tongue out at me and I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Wait hold on a second, is this ear pierced?” I asked my boyfriend to gesture to my right ear and he laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

“When I first found that being myself that I had buried so far beneath the surface to try and be perfect I promised myself that once I became open about it I would get my ears pierced. But then I found what’s more chaotic than just having one pierced and not the other?” I laughed openly at Kakeru’s over exaggerated personality.

“I have mine pierced twice. I just can’t wear earrings to school. I have one normal and one for studs that I love using.” I showed him my ears and he smiled softly at me as I heard the front door open.

“Kakeru? I’m home from work. I’m beat…” I looked towards the front door seeing a woman that looked almost exactly like her son apart from the graying hair in the front. I had to admire the fact that she wasn’t ashamed of aging though it just kind of made her more badass looking.

“Hey mom, I brought Fumi-chan home!!” I waved a little bit awkwardly from my position on the couch but seeing her smile at me I knew I would fit right in around here.

“Oh did you now? It’s nice to finally meet you!! This goofball hasn’t shut up about you since he got home the other day. My name is Tsukimi Manabe.” I shook her hand with a small smile on my face.

“I’m Fumiko Sohma, but I usually go by Fumi-chan. It's the nickname that my uncle gave to me when I was a baby. It’s very nice to officially meet you ma’am.” I introduced myself to her remembering all the lessons to make a lasting first impression that I had taken from the older ladies at the Sohma house. I wasn’t going to let the fact of my social disorder screw me up here in any way, shape or form.

“You are very well spoken for your age, I think that’s rather adorable actually. I’ve been waiting for him to bring you home since he met you. I just got this text from him saying mom this girl next to me is so cute I can’t function.” I looked at my boyfriend with a small teasing smile on my face as I watched him turn a bright shade of pink.

“Mom!! I knew I brought you home too early there’s no way that you’re going to want to be with me after tonight. If she breaks up with me after a day, mom I’m blaming you.” He said over dramatically and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him.

“I really don’t mind Kakeru, besides you’ll get your revenge on Sunday when we go and meet uncle Aya. He’s the one who taught me to speak overly polite. Some find it weird but he’s always been overly eloquent in the way that he speaks. He also makes most of my clothes outside of school uniforms.” I told her about how I had grown up around my overly exuberant uncle and she smiled at me.

“He sounds very entertaining, he's probably not much different from my son here?” I nodded my head with a small laugh.

“Oh they’ll get along just swimmingly trust me. He has plenty of embarrassing stories about me so you will be graciously compensated for whatever stories your mom has my knight don’t worry.” I kissed his still pink cheek but hearing that happy little sigh meant the world to me. His mom put her bag down and took off her high heels.

“Where did you grow up Fumi-chan? How haven’t you come to his school in the past?” She asked me and I smiled a little bit sadly.

“I would have loved to come to his school sooner than I actually did. I grew up at what’s called Sohma house where all my family members live in one giant section of the mountains. I’m technically still on Sohma property just away from the main house. It wasn’t the best place to grow up really. I had a lot of very strict expectations of what I could and couldn’t eat, how to dress, what I watched and how I interacted with other people. I grew up around a lot of my cousins that I’m still good friends with but I got booted off the main property by the family head.” I explained how I had grown up and she watched me with wide eyes and a tearful smile.

“You’ve both been through the wringer then. It explains some things to me. I was a little bit worried for my son when he told me that he was dating you already. Mostly just that he was rushing into things too quickly without getting to know you. I made him date Komaki thinking that it would be good for his social standing but he wasn’t truly happy with her. I wanted him to be more careful with his heart the second time around.” She elaborated a little bit on why she had decided that Komaki, his ex, was a good fit for him.

“I know that it happened fast mom but I really don’t regret anything when it comes to her. We’ve both been through a lot as individuals and I just want to make everything worth it for her. She just moved out of the main estate to live with her uncle after a bad experience with the head of her family. They were emotionally abusive and controlling towards her. Do you want to tell her about the clothes or should I?” Kakeru asked me and I gulped a little bit, rubbing the back of my neck a little bit.

“You do it please. I’ve already told it once today and I don’t enjoy talking about that.” He kissed my cheek gently, tightening his hold protectively around me.

“The punishments were extremely ridiculous that she had to deal with. She told me earlier about how she got most of her wardrobe burned. Her uncle worked hard to make her a lot of her clothes because he owns a dress shop. The older ladies invited a suitor to come and meet her. Fumi-chan described him as a Gaston stereotype. Her favorite Disney movie is Beauty And The Beast that she’s seen anyways and she hasn’t seen a lot of them. Her dad mostly raised her on Miyazaki’s films because he felt that they had better female characters for her to relate to. Anyways so she’s sitting there suffering and she’s usually very polite and soft spoken but she was on her last nerve. What did you tell him, baby?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit since this part of the story was a little bit funny until the punishment came.

“I told him in my most frank voice, sir I don’t care how amazing you think you are I couldn’t give less of a shit.” His mom cracked up laughing at my story and Kakeru smiled proudly at me. I melted into the cuddle again since we had started this conversation.

“So she knew that she was going to get some form of punishment for being as outspoken as she was. But I think at the moment she just didn’t really care. She goes to bed everything seems to be just fine and when she wakes up and goes to get dressed in the morning she sees that all her clothes are gone. She at first thinks it’s one of her cousins playing a prank on her so she goes to him. He tells her that he has no idea what the hell is going on but gives her some of the clothes that he has laying around for her younger cousin who is the same size as she is. She goes to see the woman in charge who was sitting in front of the fireplace right milady?” I nodded my head with a nervous smile.

“She told her that as punishment all of her clothes that she loved wearing had to be burned. Her uncle had to remake her entire closet.” I looked up at his mother who had tears in her eyes as she shook her head in sheer agony.

“That’s just not right I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. You poor thing it’s obvious how much clothing means to you. Clothing means a lot to every girl because it’s how you show off who you are to the rest of the world.” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“A lot of my clothes were themed to the movies and shows that I enjoyed. So thankfully he remembered what they were. I think he’s still trying to make up for that experience because usually when I go to visit him he has new clothes for me.” I loved talking about my uncle because of how amazing he was not just towards me but for Lin as well.

“Oh so you’re an Otaku as well? You really did score with this one Kakeru I’m proud of you kiddo.” She joked and I laughed a little bit at her fingering the end of my hair. My boyfriend gently squeezed me closer to him and I smiled at him.

“She loves Miyazaki films as I mentioned earlier but that’s not it. She’s also a fan of FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood and One Piece.” I nodded my head with a small smile remembering my One Piece themed birthday party two summers ago.

“Yes ma’am I do consider myself to be an Otaku. I know it’s a rather derogatory term but it’s one that I’ve always taken with great pride. I love anime and movies that Miyazaki-san made. My uncle recently made me some really amazing sleep kimonos that I love. He told me I think he was joking around and that he wants to make me a Princess Kaguya themed one. That’s a really intricate design though so I doubt it’ll ever come to be. It would be nice to have though especially for New Years since it’s a lot of layers.” I opened my phone showing my boyfriend the image of the design.

“Whoo boy if he does make that for you I think he’s officially the best uncle of all time.” I laughed at him showing the picture to his mom as well.

“I’m with him, that's amazing looking. We do go to the shrine every year in traditional clothing though so that will be perfect if you come with us. What does your family do for the holiday?” She asked me and I sighed a little bit. This would be the first year that I would probably be all alone for a holiday that I used to love.

“I would usually go to the main estate and celebrate there with all my family. There was always this banquet that my cousin and I could never go to, see we’re the family outcasts. So we would goof around together and buy fireworks for ourselves. It was a little bit lonely but we loved it because I got to spend it with him. I’m not allowed back at the main house though since I’ve basically been excommunicated. So I’ll probably spend the holiday alone this year.” Kakeru cradled my cheeks gently thumbing over them to calm me down.

“Come with us then? I’m sure that it will be a lot of fun with you around!! I’ll bet that you’d look beautiful in that traditional yukata if your uncle can actually pull it off. I have all the faith in the world that he will and it will be perfect.” Kakeru’s mother smiled over at the two of us. I could see how much she loved her son even though she had initially put a lot of pressure on him to be perfect.

“If I’m invited then I would love to come with you both. It could be a lot of fun.” I felt my phone buzz from my pocket and I reached into my messenger bag to find it.

“Oh speak of the devil he just texted me a picture of something.” I opened my phone, went to the text and saw the traditional yukata themed to Princess Kaguya with all the layers and everything.

_ Uncle Aya: I know that you told me you didn’t need it but I wanted to make it for you anyways. You never got to do the family banquet where I would have requested to make your outfit. This is what I would have made for you if I had that opportunity.  _ I felt tears come to my eyes that were threatening to overspill massively.

“Wow he really is quite spectacular at his job!! It looks just like the gif that you showed us. You should feel very lucky to have someone like that in your life Fumi-chan.” My heart ached to give my uncle the biggest hug humanly possible. I texted him the teary eyed emojis.

_ Me: You didn’t need to make that for me, I told you that I didn’t need it. Thank you uncle that means so much to me. I’ll wear it on New Years since I'm going to the shrine with Kakeru and his mother. I will miss New Years with Kyo but I think that this one will be fun for me as well. Thank you again for everything. Not just for this but for always being there when I needed you to turn to. I don’t know where I would be without you. I’ll try it on Sunday.  _ Kakeru nuzzled his cheek against the side of my neck with a small smile on his face.

“That’s so awesome of your uncle to make that for you without any obligation to. You deserve everything that he has done for you and more. This isn’t him feeling like he has to do this. This is him doing it because he wants to make you happy.” My boyfriend reminded me and I smiled softly nodding my head.

“Are either of you kids hungry? I know that you both worked very hard on that class project. I’m so proud of you for getting it done ahead of schedule Kakeru. I know that you would have rather goofed around but I’m proud of you for focusing.” I smiled at my boyfriend kissing his cheek and he just loosened his hold on me the slightest bit. He knew that I didn’t need to be in a crushing hug anymore to be comforted but kept his hold on me just in case I needed it.

“I actually am hungry for some real food that’s not sugar. I’ve had a lot of sugary food today mostly because people give me candy and sweets. I used to have to hide them when I lived at Sohma house. I had a loose floorboard where I would put it and then screw it back on.” I talked a little bit about the easier times when I had grown up. His mom looked at me with a sad smile on her face but I could see the overbearing kindness there.

“I really hope that you’re in a better place now even if you’re still staying on their property. No kid should have to go through all that you have Fumi-chan. Even if you had happy memories of staying with your uncle both of you got the harsh end of the stick. What about your mother?” I paled a little bit but sighed.

“She left me when I was a baby to my dad, they were both still in college just kids. She was only twenty and my dad twenty two. He was almost done with getting his medical degree and she wanted to be a nurse. They met when they worked for the same hospital for internships. They fell in love but sometimes just loving the other person isn’t enough. I’ve been taught that for most of my childhood. I’m used to the fact that I didn’t have my mom’s influence in my life. I think my uncle tried to make up for that by acting as a stand-in mother figure. He’s always been super flamboyant so I was used to growing up around him.” Kakeru smiled a little bit sadly at me as I talked about the lack of a mother figure in my life.

“Oh dear I’m so sorry, that’s the kind of thing that I don’t understand. You have the tools to take care of pregnancy if you’re not ready more people need to use them. I probably should have used that same tools but I was too naive and stupid. I did get a good thing out of the deal my son made everything worth it.” My boyfriend smiled softly at his mom and she went through her fridge finding chicken.

“Chicken and rice work for everyone? I’m feeling obscenely lazy today. Work was really difficult for me to get through today. All these meetings and having to wear those death trap shoes just to be taken seriously. Never take an office job Fumi-chan there are always other options.” I laughed at her nodding my head playing with my index fingers wondering if now was a good time to bring up my social disorder.

“I actually have aspergers, so an office job isn’t really my thing anyways. There’s really no reason to warn me against it because that will happen when the world eventually crumbles or I get taken over by an alien. Lately I’ve been thinking about doing orchestra somewhere. I don't have it all figured out but I’ve been playing violin since I was four and it’s one of my better talents. My uncle taught me so much but one of the best things that he helped me with was learning how to perform.” My boyfriend looked at me with love in his gaze and I couldn’t help but feel so much better talking about this.

“Sweetheart you can do whatever you want to. It doesn’t matter what you want to do one day but you’ve been absolutely amazing with him. He’s a really special kid and I’m so proud of both of you.” My heart warmed and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small on my face. I had found so many people in the last couple of days that I almost couldn’t believe I had made it this far without even really trying. 

“She’s going to stick around mom I really like her a lot. The reason that we got together so quickly was mostly her because she had a little bit of a breakdown earlier this morning when I caught up with her walking to school. She was worried that for some reason I wasn’t being as serious as I claimed to be.” Tsukimi laughed at her son getting out her rice cooker and shaking her head at him.

“Little tip for the future Fumi-chan my son never lies about anything once he gets what he wants. He’s never been that type of kiddo even when he was younger and a lot more serious. I haven’t always been the best mom. Sometimes I’m still not but I always try my best to not put pressure on him. Most of the things that I used to put pressure on him for was so that he could prove himself.” His mom explained a little bit to me of why she had been so insistent to make things better for her son.

“I understand that you just want what’s best for him. My dad is the same way he’s always wanted the best from me and wouldn’t accept anything else. Thankfully I’ve never had any problems with grades or schoolwork. I have always been the type that got things done the right way the first time.” I leaned my head against Kakeru’s chest feeling the hammering of his heart. It brought me comfort knowing that I was able to get that reaction from him. Not somebody else it was me that was doing that.

“Seems like you’re the polar opposite of him in that regard I usually have to strap him down and take away his electronics in order for him to get anything down around here.” I laughed openly at her talking about how she had to get Kakeru’s homework done. 

“I had to threaten to stop cuddling him in order to get it done. So if that’s what it takes then that’s fine by me.” I joked and came over to sit with us yet again taking her seat in the arm chair across from the couch.

“Kid is basically an octopus basically once he gets himself attached to you. I just thought that I’d give you the fair warning once he gets accustomed to that he isn’t letting you go.” I laughed a little bit at her pushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face.

“I’m a super needy type of person so I’m used to it at this point. I’ve always been really clingy especially with my adopted little brother Momiji.” I told her showing her pictures of my brother and I watched her smile softly.

“Oh my gosh you two look sort of alike maybe it’s in the smile?” I nodded my head since we had gotten that a lot when we were seen together around the family estate.

“We’ve always been seen together with dopey smiles on our faces. We were initially cousins but his mother gave him up to my dad when he was five and I was six. We’ve been family ever since. It was never really awkward between the two of us. We have a lot in common when you really step back and think about aside from the absent mothers. He quickly took up the violin after he was taken under our wing.” I explained a little bit of background on my German little brother that had taken to the language like a fish to water.

“Oh the poor dear, your family sounds like one big mess of psychological issues. I’m glad that he has somebody like you in his life though.” She told me and I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face.

“That’s pretty much our fate is having a lot of emotional trauma. Everyone in my family has it but that just makes us stronger people. I wouldn’t change my family for anything in the world. They’re amazing people, especially my dad, my uncle’s, my brother and my two favorite cousins Haru and Kyo.” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as I heard the rice beep and she got up to make the chicken.

“Not many people would be able to look on the bright side about these kinds of things. You have every right to be way more sad and depressed about it than you do. Yet you smile talking about the bad things. I think that’s a true testament to just how strong of a person you are.” Kakeru cradled me in his arms nodding his head animatedly.

“That was one of the first things that I noticed about her was that she wasn’t at all ashamed of what she had to go through to get to this point in her life. I just saw her smile and laugh while talking about the things that had bothered her about where she grew up. She jokes about things that most people wouldn’t be able to. I found that to be a truly amazing quality.” I blushed a bright pink and my boyfriend just rubbed his nose against mine in an eskimo kiss.

“I think that both of you are going to be together for a long while. I’m so glad that I get to see you happy son. I know that you’ve been through a lot and that I haven’t always been around or when I have I’ve been lecturing and pressuring you to do things that you didn’t want to do. I’m sorry for that.” Tsukimi apologized to her son and Kakeru just tightened his hold on me a little bit.

“It’s alright mom, I’m mostly over it really. I wanted to make you proud and I’m still going to do that. It might take some time but one of these days I want you to be proud to call me your son. Even if I’ve been kind of a screw up lately.” He apologized and I kissed his cheek proud of him that he had come so far to be able to admit that he had come from a bad time.

“I love you Kakeru…” I smiled a little bit at my boyfriend and he just smiled softly at her as she finished making the dinner for all of us.

“Come and get it kids!!” I smelt the food that I was sure would taste delicious. I might have been a little bit tired but I was always ready for food.

“Are those Broadway buttons on your bag?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“They are actually!! I have a lot of favorite shows but I am fluent in English thanks to watching Animaniacs and Pinky and The Brain in English. My dad wanted me to be fully bilingual even before my brother came into the picture. Momiji knows both Japanese and German and he has a bad habit of slipping into the wrong language.” My boyfriend got me some of the food and got me a glass of water. I took my seat with a small smile on my face.

“When did you go to New York?” I took a seat and he sat down next to me entangling his fingers around me.

“I went to New York for my tenth birthday. My uncle wanted to make it like this big thing. So he took me, my dad and my brother and we all went together. He bought all the tickets for the shows and we fell in with all of them. We saw Hamilton, Fun Home and Aladdin mainly but also Great Comet but they didn’t have a button. I got a shirt from that one.” Kakeru held my hand with a small smile on his face.

“She’s actually amazing at English mom, Animaniacs taught her a lot. She was able to do the President's song and the Nations Of The World updated it was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.” I laughed at my boyfriend not wanting to really brag about how intelligent I was or how good I was at school.

“That does sound like something that is as amazing as you say it is. What were those shows like?” She asked me and my eyes lit up at the fact that I was actually able to talk about my favorite shows.

“They were so good!! I loved all of them but my favorite was Fun Home that one blew me away. I cried so many times during Hamilton though it hits differently when you watch the show in person. Aladdin was always my brother’s favorite Disney movie. I mostly loved it for the Genie who was stellar. Great Comet was probably the most underrated of the group and I got to dance with the main villain of the show Anatole. It was a super interactive show. If I could go back the only thing I would change is I would want to see Beetlejuice which wasn’t there when I was ten.” I reasoned and I took a bite from the chicken in front of me sighing a little bit. It was just classic comfort food, nothing really too fancy but I’ve never been a big fan of things that weren’t basic.

“Do you have somebody that can take you home?” I shook my head, not wanting to make Kakeru walk all the way to my house.

“I can walk myself home. It's not too far from here. Honestly I’ll be fine. I’m almost a black belt in karate so perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t want to put Kakeru out of his way to walk me home.” My boyfriend quirked his eyebrow up at me as if asking me if I was honestly serious.

“Milady you told me that you lived a ways away earlier today. It isn’t putting me out of my way if I want to walk you home. Plus I’ll know where to pick you up for our first date next Saturday!!” He encouraged me and I knew that I wasn’t getting out of this one alive. It was going to be extremely embarrassing if my uncle was still awake.

“Okay fine you win just be lucky that I think you're cute.” I joked and he smiled softly at me squeezing my hand.

“I think you’ve got it wrong Fumi-chan you’re the cute one in this relationship. I actually haven’t seen Beetlejuice since last year. We watch that one every year for Halloween month.” I had the same tradition with Haru where we would pick a movie every weekend for the month of October. “I do the same thing!! We watch that movie on Halloween night every year. It's one of my favorite traditions. He was actually the one who encouraged me to give the cast album a few months ago before all of this happened.” I gestured to my facial scars and his mom sighed a little bit looking at me.

“I wanted to ask about that but I also didn’t want to push for information that you shouldn’t have to tell me. Do you have any interest in performing in theater yourself?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I would love to do theater one day. I love singing and acting, I used to joke around with my brother and act out our favorite movies. I just haven’t really had the tools that are needed to perform in that way. I am going to join the orchestra club Mrs. Sakamato offered me a spot earlier today in music class.” My boyfriend nodded his head enthusiastically taking out his phone and showing her my violin playing.

“When on earth did you take that?!” I asked him scandalized and he laughed at me turning up the sound and I heard myself singing The Hobbit songs.

“Sakamato actually encourages video of other students if it helps us learn from them.” He reminded me and I flushed remembering that from her introduction letter that she gave me yesterday.

“I forgot about that little fact, but you should have at least told me that you filmed that.” I protested and leaned his head against my shoulder.

“That’s it, it’s official you two are the cutest things that I’ve ever seen in my years. You’re also really talented at both singing and violin playing. I hear that’s really hard to master both at the same time.” Tsukimi praised my skills and I almost couldn’t believe that I was being encouraged and indulged in my passions

“I tell her the same things you are going to really amaze people one of these days. I love watching her play violin and see how focused she is. I told her about why I wanted to play the guitar so badly earlier today.” My heart broke seeing the sad smile on my boyfriend’s face. I protectively squeezed his hand with a small smile on his face.

“I love violin. It's one of my favorite things to do. It’s pretty up there with singing musical theater and drawing. I have a lot of passion, sorry about that.” I apologized and she just shook her head at me.

“There’s really no need to apologize sweetheart you’re talented at violin. I can’t want to see you perform at the showcase. My son told me that you’re going to be the front runner for the first day?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face nervously playing with a lock of my hair.

“Yeah I don’t really know if that was the best decision that Mrs. Sakamato could have ever made in her entire life. I really don’t want to let her down since she has put so much faith in me.” I laughed awkwardly as my boyfriend just smiled gently at me.

“You are going to do just fine Fumi-chan I know that you will because you amaze me consistently. Now it’s time for you to take the things that amaze me and show them to the rest of the world not caring if they think that it’s weird or not. I want you to unabashedly be yourself I see all of these incredible qualities in you. I know that you’re shy but there’s no reason that you should be stopped because of your anxiety.” Kakeru comforted me and I couldn’t help but sigh a little bit happily at him.

“I know it’s a lot of stress and anxiety for me but thank you for helping me and encouraging me. Sometimes that’s really all I need to get me through the rough periods.” He squeezed my hand and I just smiled a little bit at him.

“That’s what I like to see and I’m glad that you’re actually helping her come to terms with that. Relationships are messy they sometimes get complicated and there’s no way of backtracking to when they weren’t. I wanted my son to have a better love life then the one that I made for myself and to give him a chance to actually be happy. Fumi-chan I see how happy he is with you my sweet girl. Welcome to the family.” I felt tears come to my eyes that threatened to turn this into a much bigger mess than it already was.

“It’s okay Fumi-chan, it’s alright to cry when you’re overly emotional. Sometimes it actually feels better after I have a good cry if life just gets a little bit too stressful for me to handle at times.” Tsukimi reminded me and I couldn’t help but smile at her even though I was crying still.

“I never thought that I’d be welcomed into my partner's family. I always thought they’d take one look at me and think oh she’s too plain to find somebody that has a bigger personality.” I smiled lovingly at my boyfriend as he ran his finger over my knuckles.

“I want you to know that you aren’t just an ordinary person, not to me milady. I think that you’re beautiful and I love spending time with you. I can talk with you for forever and you’re so smart. I’ve never seen somebody that could whip out such good lyrics as you can within a couple of hours.” We finished the food that was in front of us and my boyfriend snuggled me back into his arms one more time.

“I would walk her home before it gets too late, Kakeru love. I’ll see you soon right Fumi-chan?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face slipping my shoes on.

“She will be back next weekend and bring back Princess Mononoke right baby?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Oh that’s a good idea we’ve never seen that one. I’ll buy pizza for us that night it’s been a while since we’ve had pizza right Kaku?” He nodded his head and kissed his mother’s cheek smiling softly at her.

“I’ll be back in a little while mom, come on milady.” My boyfriend looped his fingers through mine and I walked down the stairs with him.

“Your mother is really amazing Kakeru.” I told him and he just nodded his head with a small sad smile on his face.

“She is n't always as close as we are now but this last year we’ve made a lot of progress through family therapy and things like that. We’re a lot more open with each other about how we’re feeling and what we’re going through. I can see that you’re tired though Fumi-chan. Do you want to just put your headphones on? I don’t mind. I know that you’ve done a lot of social stuff today and have had very little time for yourself. I might have done some research on asperger's last night before I eventually fell asleep.” I smiled softly at my boyfriend putting my over the ear headphones over my neck.

“I actually would love some quiet time but just for the future I’ll tell you about when I need a little break away from it all. Every person with aspergers is different. There’s a saying that if you’ve met one person with aspergers you’ve met one person with aspergers.” I reminded him of slipping them on over my ears just walking hand in hand with my boyfriend as I put on the cast album for Beetlejuice. I saw the familiar house with Kyo sitting on the rooftop and I waved to my best friend.

“This is where you live? You weren’t kidding, this really is in the middle of nowhere I’m going to have to remember which way to go.” I made a mental note to make my boyfriend a map until he memorized which way to get here from his apartment and school.

“I did warn you I’m sorry if it’s really late now and you have to walk home…” I protested and my boyfriend just cradled my cheek with a small smile on his face. 

“It’s alright sweetheart go on inside I’ll see you on Sunday at the train station?” I nodded my head giving him a gentle kiss.

“I’ll text you. Thank you for walking me home my knight.” He pulled me into on last embrace and I laughed at him a little bit as he swung me around.

“There’s no need to thank me milady. I’m so proud of you today for introducing yourself and interacting with my mom.” He squeezed me one last time before pulling back. I waved a little bit sadly as I opened the front door.

“I’m back.” I announced taking off my shoes and sitting down on the floor for a second as I heard the gentle footsteps of my uncle coming towards me.

“Welcome back Fumi-chan you look really tired. I know that you got a boyfriend, Aya told me. I’m really happy for you!!” I laughed a little bit knowing that telling the family blabbermouth what would have happened.

“I know I’m really tired so I’m going to get some sleep.” I kissed his cheek going up the stairs with a small smile on my face. I changed into my pajamas and fell asleep rather pathetically quickly with my stuffed dog, snake and seahorse. The rays of sunshine in the mid morning is what woke me up. I checked my phone and saw a text from Kakeru and Hana-chan.

_ My Knight: I hope that you get a good night's sleep milady. You seemed almost dead on your feet last night. I was worried that I would have to carry you not that I’m complaining.  _ I smiled softly at my boyfriend’s eccentric nature texting him back.

_ Me: I’m really sorry about not texting you back my knight. I pretty much fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I’m going to go stuffed animal shopping before the sleepover today. I need to get rid of most of these or get a shelf for the three I’m keeping.  _ I grabbed a little box writing goodwill on the side of it and putting all of them inside of it picking up my land otter with a sad smile on my face. 

_ Hana-chan: The sleepover is going to start at four o’clock this afternoon. Does that work for your schedule?  _ I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I texted her back the thumbs up emoji.

_ Me: That definitely works for me!! I can’t wait for the sleepover tonight. I've been really excited for this night. _ I put the last stuffed animal into the box with a sad smile on my face. It was time to put all of these behind me. I went into my closet looking for my specific dress that I would wear today finding the Satsuki one. I put the yellow shirt and the silk flowy skirt under it also adding the suspenders. I braided my hair over my left shoulder flattening out the hem of my orange skirt. I heard my phone buzz and I smiled softly seeing that it was Kakeru.

_ My Knight: Do you need any help carrying your bags? I can be of service.  _ He offered and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

_ Me: I should be alright though I do tend to make a rare impulsive decision but I should be fine. Thank you for offering though!! _

“That looks like me, I like the way I look today. I can be confident in this.” I told myself the same thing that I had been telling myself since I was a little girl. I grabbed my White Totoro purse that my uncle had made to match the outfit.

“Where are you going Fumiko?” Yuki asked me seeing the box of stuffed animals and I saw the sad look in his eyes.

“Good morning Yuki, I’m taking these to goodwill. I think they will only set me back so the only ones that I kept are the ones that I’ve had since I was a baby. I really want to do everything I can to forget my time at Sohma house so this is necessary. I’m really sorry I know you liked them but I never really did. Especially the otter even though I know you got that one for me. I hated that because it reminded me that I was an outsider every time that I saw it.” I grabbed my box that I had put outside of my bedroom door and I could see the sad expression on my cousin’s face.

“I never really thought about that way I guess. I’m sorry that you didn’t like it.” He apologized picking up the box for me and I shook my head.

“It’s not your fault everyone else is in there too, even Momiji’s rabbit. The only ones I kept were from my dad, your brother and Shigure.” I grabbed an apple from the kitchen and took the box from him. 

“I can handle it from here thank you though for your help.” I thanked him, grabbing my slip on shoes that matched the outfit.

“I’ll be back in a little bit probably with new stuffed animals!!” I waved to him and I could see the small smile on his face.

“Be safe and have fun.” He reminded me and I shot him a grin and a thumbs up as I used my foot to slide the door open. I went down the hill into town and saw that the goodwill was open today.

“Do you need some help with those ma’am?” I heard the store attendant ask me and I nodded my head with a small smile.

“Yes please that would be great. I’m just here to get rid of these. I kind of grew out of them except for a couple of them that I decided to keep since I’ve got an emotional attachment to them.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and the store clerk grinned at me. She took the box from me getting a look at the items in my box.

“Oh my god these are adorable!! I love them, surely some little girl is going to be very happy with these.” She handed me a receipt and I put it into my purse. She unpacked the cat and I smiled softly.

“Most of my cousins gave me those based on their zodiac animals that were there favorites. But I have a lot of bad memories revolving around my childhood home.” She smiled softly at me as I looked at the clothes around me.

“I love your dress by the way, it’s so cute!!” I spun around in a small circle in front of me. She saw the purse and her eyes widened looking at my purse.

“Where did you get it?! I need that purse!!” I laughed at my new friend that was in front of me grabbing my purse.

“My uncle made it for me. He actually owns a dress shop in Akihabara, one of a million I know. I have his business card right here.” I gave her the business card that I kept in my purse. She smiled brightly at me putting the card in her wallet.

“Thank you for your amazing products. I assure you that they will go to a happy home.” I nodded my head heading for the exit since she didn’t need anything else from me. I found my way to the local shopping center and headed straight for the Disney store that had numerous varieties of stuffed animals. It was almost overwhelming. I went to the bin and filtered through the plushies finding a Tigger that stuck out to me instantly.

“We have a lot more stuffed animals over there you’re kind of looking in the wrong place.” The worker gestured to an even bigger bin.

“Do you have a favorite Disney movie?” She asked me just wanting to know a background for what I was interested in.

“My favorite is Beauty And The Beast. I haven’t seen a whole lot of them but a lot are on my list of things to do with my boyfriend.” The worker awed at me and I went through the bin finding a Winnie, a Piglet, a Rabbit, a Kanga with a little Roo and an Owl.

“You just need an Eeyore and you’ll have the whole set. We don’t really sell a whole lot of these most of the time the kids just want a Pooh Bear and then we call it good.” I laughed a little bit, finding an Eeyore and adding him to the basket.

“Did you need my help finding you anything else?” She asked me and I looked around me finding that there was a Lumiere figurine.

“The Lumiere maybe?” The worker laughed a little bit at me and took down the candlestick so that I could look at him. I pressed a button and he lit up and I felt tears come to my eyes.

“We have a Cogsworth as well as a Mrs. Potts and Chip!!” She told me and my eyes widened as I nodded my head.

“I’ll take all of them please.” I told her and she got me all the things that I wanted. I moved my way to the register.

“Did anybody help you out today?” I nodded my head ready to describe the woman that I had met.

“She had pink hair and blue eyes.” I told him and he smiled softly and I could see the little flecks of love in his eyes.

“Junko…” I nodded my head remembering that the letter that had started her name was a J. I handed the clerk my basket that I had gotten.

“You got the whole set, that’s actually really cool!! Most just buy the Pooh and then call it good like he’s the only one that matters. Personally my favorite has always been Rabbit, what about you?” He asked me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear grabbing the Tigger that he had already rung up.

“I love him because he reminds me of my brother who is constantly bouncing around. One of my favorite Disney movies is The Tigger Movie.” He smiled brightly at me, giving me a fist to pound.

“And you have just become my favorite customer of all time. Nobody remembers that movie except for me so I applaud you for knowing it.” He reminded me and I nodded my head with a small smile paying for everything.

“Do you need any help with the items that you’ve picked out?” I shook my head bidding them goodbye with a wave. I was about to head home when I saw a Studio Ghibli popup store. Well I mean it wouldn’t hurt going inside of it and come out with some more things. I walked through the store seeing that there was a Jiji that was actually soft but I didn’t want to get another cat stuffed animal.

“Oh my god your dress is everything!! Where did you get it?!” The worker asked me animatedly and I laughed a little bit showing her the purse.

“My uncle Ayame actually made this for me. He runs a dress shop in Akihabara. It's one of a dozen I know but his actually caters to Otaku culture. He’s made a bunch of other outfits for me as well. This is his latest creation.” I showed her the kimono and her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull.

“Holy fucking shit, Yoko come here right the hell now!!” I laughed at her as her coworker came over and I handed them both business cards of my uncle’s business cards.

“He makes all of my clothes so I never really need to buy nerdy clothing. He just recently made me an actually accurate Princess Kaguya yukata.” I showed her and she smiled brightly at me as I showed her the purse that I had been wearing. I loved being basically my uncle’s model. He always joked that I should get into modeling so that he could promote his shop a bit more because there was only so much that I could do.

“What is your favorite Miyazaki film?” The woman that had approached me first asked me and I smiled softly.

“My favorite Miyazaki film is Kiki’s Delivery Service but I didn’t want the Jiji I just got rid of a stuffed cat and I don’t want to get another one.” I told her and she nodded her head but held up her hand as she led me through the store.

“How about this though? We can take it to your house if you give us the directions right now. We have a delivery person out back of the shop for this reason specifically.” She asked me gesturing to the large Totoro that I instantly fell in love with. It was of him sleeping and he had a white and blue Totoro as well asleep in his arms. Even if it was just for decoration I knew that it would look perfect in my room and there was plenty of room.

“How much is he?” I asked since even though I had worked really hard over the summer on making clothes I feared that he was too much money for me to pay for.

“How about this, since you’re so cute and nice we give you a deal. How old are you?” She asked me and I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear wondering what this was all about.

“I am fourteen I’ll be fifteen in about two months.” I told her and she nodded her head with a small smile on her face.

“Then you work here with the two of us and you pay off your debt Ouran High School Host Club style. He’s actually not as much as you would expect he’s four hundred.” My heart warmed at the fact that they had cared so much to offer me a job. I got out my phone seeing that even if I bought this Totoro I would still have four hundred left. I had made a lot of clothes for my uncle over the summer and I got to keep all of my money.

“I can’t actually work with you guys right now. I have an orchestra club, a new boyfriend and friends. I work at my uncle’s shop during most summers but this summer if this shop is still here hell to the yeah. I have enough money to buy him out of pocket.” I told them showing them my gold credit card that I always paid off.

“Okay, this shop is actually permanent and we can understand since you’re in middle school right? You have entrance exams coming up?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face. If I hadn’t needed the extra time to study I would have totally taken them up on their job offer. I watched as she took two hundred dollars off of the plush but before I could protest she held up her hand.

“We always give a half off discount to people that dress up if you didn’t see our sign outside the shop.” I laughed a little bit at her paying the fee for the stuffed animal. I spun around in a small circle waiting for it to finish up.

“So you’re going into high school? Any idea what you want to study yet?” She asked me and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“Not really, I mean I love a lot of things. I love violin playing, drawing and cooking so it’s kind of hard to pick just one thing. I’ve had a lot of people tell me lately that I should just become a violin player but I don’t know the idea of doing that for a living in front of millions of people terrifies me.” I told her and she just smiled softly at me nodding her head and handing me my receipt.

“I totally get it. It took me forever before I decided that I wanted to go into animation since I have so many passions. You’ll find yourself one day, what’s your name cutie?” She asked me with a wink and I laughed a little bit.

“It’s Fumiko, my uncle though he calls me Fumi-chan and I prefer to be called that if it isn’t too much trouble. My last name is Sohma.” I introduced myself to her bowing with a small smile on my face.

“Fumi-chan I like it, it suits you. I think that you’ll find yourself and what you want to do. Who knows it might be right in front of you and you just can’t see it.” She mentioned shrugging her shoulder and I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“I’ll help you carry this behemoth out to our car and she can take you to wherever you’re staying.” I made sure that I had cash in my wallet before nodding my head. I grabbed one end of the large stuffed animal and she grabbed the other as we both walked out to the car that had little soot sprites on it. 

“Where do you live kiddo?” The driver asked me and I got into the driver's seat with a small smile on my face.

“Do you know where that mountain is about half an hour from here? I live on that mountain.” I told her and she nodded her head with a smile on her face.

“Your dress is so cute by the way I’m living for that purse too. It looks almost handmade.” I gave her one of my uncle’s business cards.

“That’s because it is!! My uncle Ayame makes Otaku clothing for me and he’s happy to do personal requests whenever somebody asks him. He’s had me model for him in the past so a lot of my designs are in that massive book that he has.” I explained to her and she took the card smiling at me.

“I figured that it was something like that. You’re lucky to have somebody in your life that loves you that much. Do you have other members of your family that you’re living with?” I nodded my head shooting off a quick text to uncle Shigure making sure that he would be able to hold the door open while I carried this massive stuffed decoration into my room.

_ Me: Hey uncle Shi!! I need a quick favor, I made a stop at the mall and kinda bought a massive stuffed Totoro for my bedroom. In my defense he’s adorable and it went with a white and blue one. They’re sleeping!! _

“What’s your name?” The driver asked me going down the road to my house where I was currently staying.

“It’s Fumiko Sohma, though my uncle calls me Fumi-chan and that’s what I prefer to go by.” I told her simply. The rest of the drive was kind of quiet but it was the comfortable type of quiet. I saw my uncle Shigure waving to me from the front porch.

“There’s my niece. I was starting to worry about you because I hadn’t seen you since last night when you were dead on your feet. I have an idea that I’d like for you to hear me out on.” My uncle told me as the driver opened the back of the truck and I picked up the other end of the Totoro.

“Oh my goodness well that really is big but it’s perfect for your room Fumi-chan.” He helped direct us up the stairs and I took out my wallet before Shizuko, my driver, could protest.

“You drove me all the way up here. At least I thank you. If you stay for a little bit I can fix you some tea as well.” I told her and she shook her head at me with a small smile on her face. She took the money from me which looked to be under protest.

“Nah I couldn’t put you out of your way like that. Besides it looks like your uncle wanted to chat with you.” She took her leave and I smiled at her as she waved to me from her truck that went back down the road.

“Meet me downstairs?” My uncle asked me from the doorway and I nodded my head with a nervous smile on my face. This was it. I knew that he wouldn’t want to take care of me anymore. Now that I was back on my feet and back to myself he should have felt obligated to look after me anymore. I sat with my knees underneath the table and he came back with a cup of CC lemon soda for me and iced tea for himself.

“I know where your mind is going Fumi-chan and trust me when I say that it isn’t what you think this might be. I wanted to chat with you about your future and high school ideas.” He told me and I sighed with relief.

“I don’t really know what I want to do with my life if I’m being entirely honest. I’m leaning towards something with cooking but I don’t know what. I’d want for it to be something unique, something that nobody has ever done before. I love cooking and baking. It’s peaceful and it doesn’t give me any stress or anxiety. People have been telling me left and right that I should be in the symphony orchestra with my violin skills but that’s not what I want. It was great and I don’t regret learning how to play it perfectly. I will have to see how I do with this whole showcase thing. I don’t think I’ll enjoy it I mean those butterflies that everybody claims they get before performing. I don’t think that’s for me.” My uncle squeezed my hands from across the table and I looked at him seeing no judgment.

“Not knowing what to do with your life is perfectly alright. I mean I’m probably not the best role model out there. I'm pretty much a big kid myself barely making deadlines. You are an amazing cook and baker. Remember that Kiki cake that you make for Lin every year? You make it differently themed but it’s always the same base. And it’s so good!!” He reminded me since I had learned that recipe when I was six and made it for my best girl friend. She wound up loving it and I would have to find a way to send her one of them this year.

“I think that opening your own restaurant would be a great career path for my favorite little niece. What if you were to combine two of your favorite things? Cooking and anime?” He offered his idea and my eyes widened.

“A STUDIO GHIBLI RESTAURANT?!” I exclaimed having bit hit with the mega idea and I got out a piece of paper from my notebook.

“Hey now!! There’s a brilliant idea, I knew that you had it in you sweetheart. You’re going to do great things one day. There is a slight dilemma though…” He tapped his chin and I looked up at him with my head cocked to the side.

“You would either have to work a restaurant job as a chef in high school to gain experience or you’d have to be separated from your new friends and boyfriend. It’s also insanely ambitious. Now I know that you can do whatever you put your mind to sweetheart but there will be some critics along the way. People that will tell you that you’ll never be able to recreate food that is already so beloved.” My uncle told me seriously and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I want to go to the same high school as Kakeru and work a restaurant job after school. I know that I can do this. I’ve always loved his films and the food always looks delicious. I’m going to start off simple with just the basic design. What if I had separate rooms themed to the most popular movies? Obviously My Neighbor Totoro is one, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke?” My uncle nodded his head easily on the same page that I was. This was what I loved about my relationship with my uncle. He was always open to my ideas and encouraging towards them but also reminding me that real life does exist. 

“All of those are amazing ideas!! I think that you should enjoy high school with your boyfriend and then spend college at a cooking school. I know that you’ve only just got this idea but I’m all for it. I’ll support you one hundred percent. I always will. You’ve got me in your corner fighting for you. I know that I haven’t always been there but I love you.” He told me simply and I smiled softly at him giving him a big hug. At least now I had an answer for whenever somebody asked me what I wanted to do in the future.

“Thank you uncle Shigure you have no idea what you giving me this idea means to me. I’ve already got a testing audience. I’m going to make some things for the sleepover tonight.” I cracked my knuckles going over to the pantry and getting out everything that I would need to make fresh bread. It was a labor of love but my dad had always praised it once I was done. I found a huge basket that I could use to put everything in. I baked the bread and got started on the cookies.

“What on earth is going on down here Fumiko?” I heard the familiar voice of Kyo next to me and I smiled over at him rubbing the back of my neck.

“Well uncle Shigure gave me an idea and I had to get right to work. I’ve been massively stressing about people constantly asking me if I had my career plan figured out. Then he reminded me how good I was at cooking for all of you the other day. I know you’re not a huge fan of sweets but cookie?” I asked him and he smiled a little bit at me as he took one of the jelly ones and he gave me a double thumbs up.

“That is actually amazing, I’m not a fan of sugar but I love that so much.” Taking that from Kyo the boy that had never even been a big fan of candy I took that as a massive score.

“So he gave me this idea to make the first ever Studio Ghibli restaurant. It’ll take a lot of work on my part and there will be critics but hey I’m ready for those. Besides if I can get the biggest sugar hater in the world to love my sweets well then there’s nothing for me to worry about.” I joked and I got out the last clean bowl to make the chocolate cake in. I looked at the clock seeing that it was nearly four o’clock. I packed up everything into the basket grabbing my over the shoulder sleeping bag for tonight. I grabbed Tigger and Rabbit as well putting them in there before zipping it back up again. I dusted off my skirt getting the flour off of it. I couldn’t wait for my friends to try my treats. I hoped that they would be as encouraging towards my dream as the people around me were. 

“I’m off again, I’ll see you guys tomorrow!!” I bid my family farewell and followed the instructions that Hana-chan had given me this morning. I found myself in a quaint and adorable neighborhood in front of a huge house. I rang the bell and saw Hana-chan come to the door.

“Fumi-chan the first to arrive. What smells so good?” She asked me and I opened the basket the smallest amount.

“I know you told me to just bring myself but consider this a test run. I’ll tell you about it when everybody else gets here.” I explained to her and she took one of the chocolate cookies sighing at the flavors.

“These are delicious. I'm sure that my family will be much appreciative. That dress is very cute, did your uncle make it for you?” I nodded my head with a happy smile on my face putting my basket on the countertop.

“I’m taking Kakeru to meet him in Akihabara. I might steal some of your ingredients for something tonight is that alright?” She nodded her head with a small smile on her face knowing that I had finally started to look into the future towards my dream.

“Just as long as I get to try whatever it is then that’ll be alright.” I checked her fridge to make sure that she had everything for the cheesecake. I had remembered making this one for Lin’s birthday a few years back when she wanted a change of pace. I had been inspired by the teatime in Spirited Away with granny. I used to wish for a grandmother just like her when I was a little girl.

“Do you want to at least tell me what you’re planning on making?” She asked me and I laughed a little bit at my gothic friend.

“A cheesecake so it’ll need to freeze overnight. I’ve got this big idea that my uncle Shigure gave to me a little bit ago. You know how yesterday I told you that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life?” Hana-chan smiled at me, taking another chocolate cookie from my basket. I took the plate out and handed them to her.

“I do remember that, you seemed rather distraught about the whole ordeal. It’s alright to not know what you want to do with your life. I doubt I ever will and I’ll just have to settle for a desk job someplace.” My heart broke for my friend and I took out the other cookies that I had baked with little Totoro’s in them. 

“I don’t for that to be my life, I want to do something courageous and above the cut of my cloth. My uncle always told me that he wanted to create something. That same need to give something to this world has always been a part of who I am. I’ve loved cooking for my family since I was a little girl. I always thought that it was just me trying to fit in and find a role that meshed with what the older ladies wanted from me. Once I got old enough to look at the food in Miyazaki’s films I mastered a few things, mostly what’s in front of you right now. I’ve got baked bread from Howl’s Moving Castle, chocolate cake from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Totoro cookies that I created on my own, and cookies from the tea in Spirited Away that I’ll probably have to make more of tomorrow before I go and visit my uncle. My second uncle, the one that I’m living with, gave me the idea of opening my own Studio Ghibli restaurant.” Hana-chan listened to my story and she smiled softly at me.

“If everything you make is this good Fumi-chan then you’ve got nothing to worry about.” I took a picture of all the food that I made and sent it to Kakeru.

_ Me: I might have gone a little bit overboard don’t worry, I'll have something special to take to my uncle tomorrow. _

“I know that Tohru and Uo-chan will support you as well. You could do some really incredible things with your love of food and the anime factor.” She told me with a small smile on her face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear playing with my fingers.

“I love watching the expressions on the faces of people that try my food. Making people happy through something that to me has always been so simple and fun it makes me feel like I have a purpose. I don’t just take from the world this is something that I can give back.” I played with the end of my braid and she just smiled softly at me as I took one of my jelly cookies.

“I know that this is something important to you. I love the fact that you were willing for us to be your test audience. That bread looks delicious!!” The gothic girl told me and I looked up seeing that there was a little boy off in the corner.

“Megumi, this is Fumi-chan. She's a new friend of Tohru and I’s. She goes to school with us.” I smiled softly at the little boy extending the cookie on the plate towards him.

“Would you like one? I made them myself, you're going to be one of my first test audience’s.” I told him and he tentatively took one of the Totoro themed ones.

“These are very good, you truly have a gift. Do you like Disney movies?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile.

“I haven’t really seen a whole lot of them mostly because my dad didn’t want to raise me to be some vapid girl who sits around waiting for her prince Charming but I love Beauty And The Beast. I think the first one I really want to watch is Princess And The Frog. I’ve heard good things about that one.” I kicked my legs back and forth getting out the Tigger from my bag and hugging him tightly.

“I can appreciate that in a parent mostly because I think too many young girls think that’s how love is supposed to work.” I nodded my head at Megumi with a small smile on my face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear taking another small cookie.

“I mostly was raised on Miyazaki-san’s films, that's where I took all of this yummy food from. I currently live with my uncle who was the one that implanted the seed of an idea in my head to make my own restaurant themed to the franchise of films.” I told him and he pulled a chair a little bit closer.

“I haven’t seen many of his movies to be perfectly honest with you. Other than Totoro I haven’t really seen any of them. They just never really spoke to me.” Looking at the gothic boy in front of me my inner being was screaming Spirited Away. 

“I didn’t bring that collection of films but I will next time and you can take your pick. I only brought the two that I said I would, Skeleton Twins and The Tigger Movie. There are so many more amazing ones out there than just that one.” I told the younger brother and I could see the small glimpse of a smile on his face. 

“I like her sister. I think that she should be a regular in this house.” I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck.

“I like her too. She will return regularly for sleepovers. We usually have them here because it’s the biggest house. Tohru only has a two bedroom apartment and Uo-chan has it even worse. What about yourself?” She asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I played with the hem of my skirt.

“I live with my uncle Shigure and at the moment my two male cousins. One of them is my best friend Kyo, we grew up together. He’s one of the few people in my family other than my uncle Aya, my best friend Lin, my dad, my brother Momiji and my best friend Haru that I would tell just about anything. We did karate together for a really long time and I’m getting my black belt soon. The other one I haven’t been truly close to since I was maybe about the age of nine? We got into a really big fight. He had an awful childhood, even worse than the one that I did. Akito, the head of our family, completely isolated him from everyone. All the people told him that he should feel blessed to have that opportunity but it’s not a good thing. He claimed that I had the “perfect life”. Things haven’t been the same between Yuki and I since. I don’t think it helps that I have a better relationship with his brother than he does.” Hana-chan leaned her head against my shoulder with a small smile on her face.

“Maybe this would be a good time for you to patch things up then?” I sighed a little bit curling my legs in.

“It could be but the damage has already been done. I don’t think that I could do anything to fix the bad times. I’ve always sort of wanted to but never really known how to talk to him after that. I was so hurt by what he said that I couldn’t ever really get over it. My childhood was never perfect. I just had people that tried to make it better. Maybe I’ll figure out something but soon it’ll just be me and him in that house with my uncle.” I didn’t love talking about my relationship with Yuki. It was something that I blamed myself for because I never truly reached out to him after that day. He still came to most of my birthday parties but he always kept to himself or stayed with Lin. They always remained close probably since Yuki had been staying there since first year of middle school. She always tried to press me to patch things up with my antisocial cousin and to get things back to the way that they were when we were kids but it just never fixed itself.

“I think that you should give it your best shot Fumi-chan. You never really know what can come of something unless you try to patch it up yourself. I know it might seem difficult but you can always try your best at something. Even if nothing gets better the point is that you tried your hardest. Do you love your cousin?” Megumi asked me and I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face.

“At one point yes I did love him, he was my best friend. He was probably the cousin that most related to me. Most of my cousins are exuberant and overly enthusiastic at random intervals. The only one who remembered my role to remain consistently soft spoken around me was Yuki. I kind of was afraid of loud noises when I was a little girl. I’m still not best friends with thunderstorms.” I mentioned smiling a little bit, finally remembering the better times when I used to sneak myself into Yuki’s isolation room and read to him. 

“Then I recommend listening to Megumi, he usually knows what he’s talking about.” Hana-chan joked and I laughed at her a little bit. The doorbell rang and I looked over seeing that it was Uo-chan and Tohru. 

“Fumi-chan!! You actually beat us here.” I saw Tohru’s happy smile as she put her bag next to mine on the couch and she came over smelling the treats that I had brought with me.

“Yeah it wasn’t as far as I thought from where I live so it wasn’t too hard to find my way here. Oh help yourself by the way I made them!!” I told her about the cake, bread and cookies that I had baked before coming here.

“You did?! Bread is really hard to make. I find it easier to just buy it from the store. We’re being treated well today Uo-chan!!” I laughed at Tohru as she tore off a little piece of the bread and her eyes widened.

“This is the best bread I’ve ever tasted!! You’ll have to show me your skills. I don’t know how you were able to make all of this for us. We told you to just bring yourself. I was going to make cashew chicken for dinner for you.” I smiled brightly at my best friend shaking my head with a small smile.

“Don’t even worry about it. Tohru, I wanted to make everything that you see in front of you. My uncle gave me this idea. All of this food is themed to a Studio Ghibli movie that I love watching. I’ve been really scared of thinking about what I want to do in the future but he sat me down after I came back from stuffed animal shopping about five hours ago. He told me that I would figure out something that I was good at. He praised my talents for making everyone dinner the other night and I just had a little bit of a crazy idea hit me upside the head. A Studio Ghibli themed restaurant!! A place where everyone who loves the movies can finally try the delicious looking food from the films.” I smiled brightly as I talked about my future and Uo-chan came to sit next to me at the kitchen table.

“That’s an awesome idea, that actually sounds totally badass!! Expect me to be there every weekend.” I gave my new friend a fist bump pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. She scooted next to me and took the chocolate cookie that I had made.

“These are so fucking good, you’ve got a real talent there Fumi-chan. I think that you can definitely do it if everything tastes this good. Consider us your test subjects for anything new that you want to try okay?” She winked at me and I nodded my head almost not even believing how all of this had happened. People were actually encouraging of me and my passions and they wanted for me to succeed at my dream.

“Does this mean that you’re going to go to a different high school than the rest of us? One for strictly cooking?” Tohru asked me and I could hear the little bit of sadness in her tone as I shook my head with a small smile.

“No way, I’m not abandoning you guys not after I just met all of you. Working at restaurants is what I’m going to do. That’s how I’m going to gain experience. Take on little apprenticeships here and there. I’d love to find one that taught me how to make ramen by hand. I know you could just use the boxed stuff but I want to make the Ponyo ramen look as mouth watering as possible and taste just as good. Lin loves that movie so I wouldn’t really mind if it was extra work if I got to see the look on her face.” I explained how I was going to get my job experience and Hana-chan smiled a little bit at me.

“Just remember to take time for yourself as well. I know that this job means a lot to you but you have your entire teenage years that you were robbed of pretty much. I want to give you a better life but I know that you’ve been doing a lot better.” She encouraged me and I smiled softly at my best friend that had been there for me. She took a wedge of bread and cheese that I had brought with me.

“We’re going to have to binge all of these movies because to be honest I haven’t seen a single one.” Uo-chan told me and I turned to her, my eyes wide and almost horrified. I thought that everybody had at least seen Totoro.

“I’ll bring my box set with me next time!! This needs to be rectified, I think your favorite will probably be Princess Mononoke. It’s his masterpiece of environment vs the nature of man turned on it’s head. While Lady Aboshi is the villain I’ve always seen the good sides of both so I side with the main character who thinks that everything should exist in peace and harmony with one another.” I explained a little bit about one of my favorite movies that the incredible director had ever made even if it was an absolute beast to get done.

“I can’t wait to watch it then with you. These are seriously the best thank you for baking these for us today!! I can’t wait to try that cake for dessert.” I smiled brightly at her giving my best friend a thumbs up.

“Lin asks for that cake every year themed to whatever special interest has taken her by storm that year. One year she wanted it made into a Brave theme like the Pixar movie. That was her favorite movie for such a long time. I think I’ve watched it with her way too many times for somebody that doesn’t like that one.” I joked and Tohru just smiled a little bit taking one of my jelly cookies that were on the plate.

“I think it’s so nice how close you are with your cousins!! I don’t have that close of a relationship with any of mine.” I laughed a little bit kicking my legs back and forth with a small smile on my face.

“Well one of them I’m not that close to so that one is going to be a work in progress. We had a big fight when I was nine and things haven’t really been the same between me and him ever since.” I tried a little bit of the bread in front of me, sighing a little bit as it had turned out perfectly. The first few times I had tried to make bread hadn’t turned out the best.

“I am actually very proud of this bread. The first few times I had tried to make bread it turned out not the best for me.” I smiled softly playing with the ends of my braided hair and Uo-chan hugged me tightly.

“You’ll be alright Fumi-chan we’re always going to support you. These are all amazingly crafted and if you work your hardest it’s all going to be okay. When you do learn how to make the fresh ramen noodles you’re going to have to make ramen for us.” She told me and I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face. 

“You’ve got it Uo-chan I’ll make whatever I learn and test it out on you guys. I really want to make this recipe next. I'll probably wind up making it tomorrow.” I showed them the salmon with white sauce that I was looking forward to making.

“That looks delicious!! I’m sure that it is going to turn out just as good as you think it will. Maybe for the restaurant add another side?” Tohru wondered and I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“I want this to be as movie perfect as possible. Trust me Otaku notice everything that doesn’t look like the original. I want for this to be a safe haven for people like me that don’t fit in really.” I told them and took another one of my delicious cookies that was on my plate. Hana-chan’s family came out to the living room and saw all of the things that I had made.

“Oh you must be Fumi-chan!! Did you buy all of this for us?” I shook my head before Megumin spoke up from where he was sitting on the floor.

“She baked it mother, they are very delicious.” He gave her one of the cookies that I had made and the mom’s eyes widened.

“That’s so good!! I really love that it’s so good. Do you ever think about opening your own bakery?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a small smile on my face. 

“I want to open the very first Studio Ghibli restaurant\bakery so all of these treats and more food based items will be there. It’s still just an idea for the moment but I really love baking and cooking so there you go.” I trailed off a little bit awkwardly and Hana-chan’s mom just smiled a little bit at me.

“Well you truly have a gift and you should be able to do whatever you wanted for the future. You will always be welcomed here to bring whatever you like.” My heart warmed at the fact that her mother was just as kind as the wave girl that had let me into her life in the first place.

“Thank you ma’am that means a lot to me. I’m also making a cheesecake to bring to my uncle’s tomorrow. He runs a dress shop in Akihabara and made this outfit for me and many others. He jokes that I’m his favorite model because whenever I wear his clothes out in public at least ten people stop me. Especially when I wear something as iconic as this is.” I fingered the tops of the suspenders on my dress.

“Did you go shopping for new stuffed animals today?” Tohru asked me and I nodded my head showing her my Tigger and Rabbit.

“I actually found all of the Winnie The Pooh gang. I worked at my uncle’s shop last summer and I earned a lot of money through making clothes for customers. It was the first summer that I actually knew enough to be able to officially work there. So I didn’t have to beg my dad for shopping money. It kind of came in handy because I went just slightly crazy. I might have bought a giant Totoro to go into my bedroom.” I rubbed the back of my neck a little bit and Uo-chan just laughed at me.

“If you’re asking me you deserve to spoil yourself rotten. You’ve been through a lot to come out the other side and I’m happy that you got better for not just yourself but for others as well.” She encouraged me and Hana-chan nodded her head.

“You’ve sacrificed so much so that the people around you could live what you thought was a better life. I know that there were a lot of happy things in your childhood but at the same time a lot of bad stuff happened.” I looked down at my skirt nodding because they didn’t know half of the bad things.

“There was always a punishment for the smallest of things. One time they burned all of my clothes just because I couldn’t talk with a suitor. The punishment almost never fit the ‘crime’ that they thought I committed. They thought that I dressed too promiscuously anyways.” As I told the bare bones version of the story Tohru looked up at me horrified.

“But your clothes mean everything to you. They were what tied your uncle and you together.” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face.

“I didn’t expect for them to really understand what that’s like though. My uncle isn’t really all that popular. People say that he abandoned the family for his own selfish desires which I never found to be true anyways it’s just what they say. He had to go back and remake all of my clothes and even though he never once complained I know that it was annoying for him. He’s still trying to make up for that. Every time I go to visit him he has new clothes for me most of them I’ll never find the opportunity to wear outside of super fancy occasions.” I showed them the Princess Kaguya yukata that he had worked so hard on.

“I’ll probably never even be able to wear that. I told him that he didn’t need to make it for me but he did it anyway. Sometimes I don’t understand him. I mean I don’t deserve all of this…” I protested and Tohru took my hands in her’s.

“But in his mind you deserve everything!! He wants to make sure that you’re taken care of and this is the only way that he knows how to. He feels bad that he couldn’t stop it the first time but he wants to make sure that everything is better from here on out. I can understand that. Your family works hard to make sure that you’re protected in every way that they possibly can.” I laughed a little bit at her nodding my head. 

“I think that Tohru is absolutely right. Your uncle loves you and he wants to make sure that he provides well enough for you. He loves seeing you happy wearing his clothes and telling people about them. The more clothes that he makes for you the business he gets. It’s also a good business tactic.” Hana-chan noted and I smiled softly at her leaning my head against her shoulder.

“That’s it, you’re not ever going back to that place I’m sorry but I’m not letting you go back.” I laughed a little bit at Uo-chan pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m excommunicated anyways so I’m not allowed back on the property for any reason whatsoever. Hopefully that doesn’t mean all Sohma property, otherwise I won’t be able to go back to the beach house for my birthday in June.” Hana-chan entangled her fingers with mine smiling softly at me. 

“So how was your’s and the goofballs' first day together yesterday?” Uo-chan asked me curiously taking another cookie off of my plate.

“It was good!! It was actually better than good, he took me out for ice cream at this really unique ice cream shop where they roll them around in other treats. I got a cookie monster which had oreo and chocolate chip cookies in it. We got our song done for Tupling’s homeroom class which took us most of the afternoon but it was so much fun to work on that together. And now that it’s done a week ahead of schedule I can focus on other things. I also got to meet his mother who was very nice to me. She obviously made her own mistakes but she’s trying to make up for them.” I smiled softly at her as I got to share about my wonderful day yesterday.

“I know that shop they sell very good ice cream. I used to take Megumi there all the time when we were younger, he had the same favorite that you did. It was run by a really nice lady.” My best friend remembered and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“Apparently his mom and her are friends so he goes there all the time. He asked me about childhood music too. I spent a lot of my childhood listening to Cat Stevens. It was my mom’s favorite artist. My dad wanted me to at least know that because if you know a person’s favorite singer then you have a good idea of what that person is like. I do still love his early stuff. He went a little bit religious crazy later on in life but a lot of his classic stuff is very good. I guess I just wanted you three to know that as well.” I laughed a little bit, swinging my legs back and forth taking another small piece of bread.

“I’ve actually never heard of him before, is he another artist from America?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“My mom was another Sohma not directly related to my dad by any means. They just had the same last name so I’m sure at one point they were related but our family is so big now that it’s hard to keep track of them. She loved old school music, or at least in that day and age old school. My uncle told me that she always sang Cat Stevens to me when I was in her belly. It was always a different song but it was usually one of his. I wish I could have had the opportunity to know her.” Tohru scooted a little bit closer to me, smiling a little bit sadly at me. Uo-chan leaned against my shoulder and I took the support that was offered to me.

“If she loved you so much I wonder why she left.” Uo-chan said aloud before she could help herself and I sighed a little bit.

“Like many things it was the fault of Akito. My dad can't see out of his right eye anymore he’s half blind. He and my mother wanted to get married but Akito didn't like it. He told them that they couldn’t get married, that he wouldn’t allow it. In my family you can’t just defy Akito. His word is law and you can’t break it. When my dad insisted Akito just snapped much like he did with me. He threw a vase at a wall and massive shards of it hit my dad’s eye. My mother blamed herself for what happened and that she couldn’t protect my dad. My uncle told me that she fell into a really deep depression and that when I was born and she had recovered she locked those tragic memories away. Now she doesn’t even know that I exist.” I explained a little bit about my relationship with my mom. I didn’t love talking about this but I felt that they deserved to know the truth.

“How can she not remember that she had a kid? Seems like it was kind of an important thing.” I shrugged my shoulders laughing a little bit awkwardly.

“My dad claims that the brain is a funny thing. It can forget tragic things like that. If she didn’t want to remember than she could just as easily forget about me and her relationship with him. I sometimes wish my family was normal and that we could all get along in peace and harmony but tragically that isn’t the reality. My family is a messed up thing but the people that I have in my life I love them more than anything and I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to them.” Tohru squeezed my hands with a small smile on her face. 

“I’m so sorry that you had to go through that Fumi-chan. But you’re also so strong to just be able to talk about things like that. Even though they are hard for you to think about they are also things that happened to you to help encourage you to get to where you are. What’s your favorite Cat Stevens song?” She asked me and I hummed it a little bit underneath my breath with a small smile on my face.

“It’s called Tuesday’s Dead. It's a really fun one to sing and I sing it with my brother sometimes. I didn’t want to bring my dad back any memories so I left him off of my childhood playlist even though he was the only real musician that I would listen to back then. I don’t count The Wiggles since they had a television show that was meant for children.” My best friend held my hand in hers squeezing it gently with a small smile on her face.

“Can you sing it for us?” Hana-chan smiled at me and I nodded with a small smile on my face using my hands to bang out the beat of the song that I always found myself listening to.

_ “Oh, if I make a mark in time, I can’t say the mark is mine. I'm only the underline of the word. Yes, I’m like him, just like you, I can’t tell you what to do like everybody else. I'm searching through what I’ve heard. Whoa, where do you go when you don’t want no one to know? Who told tomorrow Tuesday’s dead? Oh preacher, won’t you paint my dream? Won’t you show me where you’ve been? Show me what I haven’t seen to ease my mind. ‘Cause I will learn to understand if I have a helping hand I wouldn’t make another demand all my life. Whoa, where do you go when you don’t want no one to know? Who told tomorrow Tuesday’s dead? What’s my sex, what’s my name? All in all it’s all the same, everybody plays a different game, that is all. Now man may live, man may die, searching for the reason why, but if he tries to rule the sky he must fall. Whoa, where do you go when you don’t want no one to know? Who told tomorrow Tuesday’s dead? Now every second on the nose the humdrum of the city grows. Reaching out beyond the throes of our time we must try to shake it down, do our best to break the ground. Try to turn the world around one more time. Yes, we must try to shake it down, do our best to break the ground. Try to turn the around one more time. Whoa, where do you go, when you don’t want no one to know? Who told tomorrow Tuesday’s dead?”  _ Singing this song gave me something that I could tie back to a woman that I never had the opportunity to meet. 

“That was amazing!! You did that without any background music, I don’t meet very many young Cat Stevens fans.” I looked up seeing an older woman standing there that was obviously Hana-chan’s grandmother. She told me that she lived with her grandma in the same house and I rubbed the back of my neck forgetting that I was in a bigger house than I really was in the heat of the moment.

“Her mom really loved his songs and we asked her to sing her favorite one. It’s the only thing to tie her to her, she left her with her dad when she was a baby.” My best friend thankfully explained for me to her grandma and I watched the emotions of what she had just told her finally process.

“I’m so sorry to hear that you are poor dear but you sing very beautifully. I would like for you to know that. Did you bake these for us as well?” She asked me gesturing to all of what I bought for them.

“I did, I’m sorry if I was singing too loud I’m Fumi-chan I’m a new friend of theirs from school.” I introduced myself to her offering her the plate of cookies and she took a jelly filled one.

“These are just heavenly perfectly buttery and sweet. You did a great job making these for us. You didn’t have to but we are very much grateful. And you weren’t singing too loud. I found it refreshing. Plus his songs are the kind that are meant to be sung loudly especially that one. The message of it is one that I used to love in my youth.” She told me and I smiled softly at the grandma of my best friend.

“She’s multi talented at a lot of things but singing is definitely one of them. Did you have to take lessons?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face remembering when I used to have to take music lessons when I was a little girl.

“The older ladies at Sohma house were rather insistent once they learned that I had modest talent. However, it wasn’t a song that I would normally want to sing. I’m more of the classic rock and sometimes folk music kind of girl. Singing what they forced me to was more often than not religious songs which I hated. It’s probably why I’m not the biggest fan of Cat as a person now that I’m older.” The grandma scooted up a chair so that she could listen to my life story a little bit more.

“That makes perfect sense to me, love, so your name is Fumiko Sohma? That’s a really pretty name.” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face as I got to talk about one of my favorite memories.

“My uncle Shigure was the one that named me. He's a novelist and a very dysfunctional one at that. He barely manages to make his deadlines because he’s a bit of a lazy ass. I love him but it’s the truth. He helped raise me by keeping me happy. He loves his daughter and I spent a lot of time around him when I was a little girl.” I didn’t really talk about my other uncle nearly as much but he was one of my favorite people and one of the few that took the time to sit me down and make sure I was doing alright.

“You don’t really talk about your other uncle nearly as much as your main one. Did you not spend a lot of time with him growing up?” Uo-chan asked me and I nodded my head, filtering through my phone and finding a picture of him and Lin when she was younger.

“When I was four he adopted Lin who was a Sohma but she was an unwanted one much like me except her parents had died. She was in an orphanage where she wasn’t getting the proper care that she needed so he took her out. After that he got more busy so he wasn’t always able to watch me. In fact he was rarely able to because she was always getting sick and he worried about her a lot. So there was no more time in his life for another person to look after. Meanwhile my uncle Aya just had his shop and I could help him there.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and Tohru just smiled a little bit at me.

“I think that your uncles are really incredible people!! They’ve for the most part been there as often as they could for you. It must have been difficult raising a little girl that most people wouldn’t have taken in the first place. I think a lot of people would have left her there to wither and probably die if he hadn't done something.” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I think that a lot of my family is outcast but I love them just because of me. I love them more than anything and I could probably talk about them forever.” I rubbed the back of my neck a little bit embarrassed that I was probably talking about things that were considered really boring by most standards.

“I think that you should play a Cat Stevens song for your mother.” Hana-chan recommended and I sighed a little bit.

“I really want to play Sad Lisa, that's the song that she apparently sang to me the most. It’s a sadder song but I don’t know what my dad will think if I did that. That’s why I don’t want to perform it because I don’t want to offend him in any way. He’s already been through so much thanks to my existence and I don’t want to put him through more trauma. Besides I’ve already got my songs figured out and I don’t want to change any of them.” Uo-chan leaned her head against my shoulder taking my phone and finding the song plugging her headphones into her ears. I dared to look up at her seeing the tears in her eyes.

“I think that you should do it. It means that you are accepting that part of your life even though it’s shitty. It proves where you came from and that isn't the sum of your parts. Ask your boyfriend to play it with you if that will make it feel better.” I looked at my list of songs wondering what could possibly be replaced.

“We already have seen you play A Town With An Ocean View and while that was incredible I know that you could easily outshine it with this one.” She encouraged me and I knew I would have to email Mrs Sakamato and tell her that I wanted to change it.

“I’m going to ask my dad if it’s okay before I do anything. I don’t want to offend him or make him not want to come and I feel like if I’m upfront with him that will make things easier.” I sighed a little bit knowing that if I played this song he might not come at all.

“If he really loves you as much as any father should, what you play wouldn’t matter to him at all. He would see how happy you were up there on that stage. That’s what’s important here. If you accept this part of your childhood that wasn’t good then it means you’re moving forward.” Hana-chan’s grandmother informed me and I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face.

“I think that you should do whatever makes you happy Fumi-chan. If you think that this is the right thing to do then you should do it. I know that you could perform whatever you wanted to but this would be a lot of a bigger deal. It’s that acceptance that Uo-chan mentioned. It’s admitting that your childhood was indeed hard, much harder than it should have been but you found ways to get through it. If your dad loves you then he’ll understand.” I smiled softly at Tohru as she indulged me and I nodded my head with a small smile.

“I’ll still talk to him and tell him that I’ll be playing that song because I know that period of his life was really hard. It was lonely for me for a long time but music helped me get through it, especially his.” I sighed a little bit happily at the fact that I had made so many friends within the last few days. People that would understand me and indulge my passions no matter what.

“I think that we should get dinner started. What do you think, Fumi-chan?” I nodded my head with a happy smile getting off of the barstool where I was sitting.

“I’ll help you!! Besides this recipe will be useful for me when I want to make it for myself.” I told her and she got out all the vegetables and the chicken breasts with the soy sauce.

“Do you have rice Hana-chan?” Tohru asked her and she nodded, getting the huge bag of rice from her cabinet.

“I’ll get the drinks for everybody.” She told us and I smiled softly at her nodding my head until she got out ginger ale and cherries.

“She makes us all Shirley temples for sleepovers!! Have you ever had one?” Tohru asked me and I shook my head as I started chopping the vegetables.

“They are really good, very sweet but delicious when done right and Hana-chan makes the best ones. Do you think you’ll want coco in the morning?” I shook my head with a small smile on my face.

“Since I’m going to visit my uncle I’ll have some over there but thank you for thinking of me. I think I’ll make pancakes in the morning.” Tohru leaned against me with a small smile on her face as I cut into the onion in front of me.

“That sounds delicious especially with the other sweets that you’ve made for us!! You don’t need to make anything for breakfast. We have the bread so if you want to just take it easy tomorrow then I would recommend that.” She claimed worriedly and I laughed a little bit at her clenching my fist.

“I’ll be fine Tohru!! I’m a tough cookie I can handle just about anything besides I’m not even close to being tired yet. I’ve still got a lot of fire inside of me. I can accomplish this goal I know that I can.” I promised myself and she just smiled a little bit at me bobbing her head to an invisible beat.

“What do you want to watch first, Fumi-chan?” Uo-chan asked me from the countertop where she was still sitting snacking on a few more of my cookies.

“Whichever one suits your fancy more I’d like to watch Skeleton Twins first. Mostly because that one is longer and none of you have ever seen it before.” I added the vegetables to the heated pan and Tohru used the same cutting board to chop and add the chicken. 

“Then that is the one that we shall watch first.” Tohru smiled at me as the rice beeped and I stirred it around to make it fluffier.

“I’m hella excited to watch this!! It should be a lot of fun.” Uo-chan fist bumped and I laughed at my best friend.

“I’m glad that you’re so enthusiastic about this film it means the world to me. It’s in English but there is the Japanese version on there for all of you.” I told them and Hana-chan handed me a drink with a little cherry inside of it. Me and Tohru finished making dinner for everyone and I took my bowl and curled up on the floor as the opening of my favorite movie had started. Hana-chan sat next to me and Megumi curled up at my feet.

“Do you want to watch with us?” I asked him and he nodded his head stoically. I smiled softly at the fact that I had this familial unit in front of me, my own found family.

“Okay then squirt just keep it down.” Uo-chan ruffled his hair and I laughed at the two of them interacting. I pressed play on the film and it became one of those things that I would never forget. Laughing and tearing up with this crew of people that had surrounded me it made me feel like I finally fit in somewhere. I grabbed my Tigger and Rabbit as I came back to the floor as Megumi curled up against my side.

“He doesn’t usually get attached to people that quickly who aren’t me. I think that you should consider that the highest honor.” Hana-chan told me and I almost couldn’t believe that this little boy was already so accepting of me.

“It took him a while to get used to Tohru and I but he must see the same thing that we see in you. He must see that you’re an extremely trusting individual and he wants to be close to you.” Uo mentioned and I smiled softly at the young boy next to me.

“Kids have always kind of loved me though I mean one of my cousins loves to follow me around like I’m the mother duck and she’s the baby chick. My younger cousin Kisa does that with me all the time though I think she would do the same thing with you Tohru.” I joked and the other girl laughed a little bit rubbing the back of her neck.

“Who wants some of this cake?” She asked me to swiftly change the subject on me and I laughed at her.

“I’ll cut it, hey Megumi, want some cake?” I asked the gothic boy and he nodded his head. It was the first time that I had seen him smile since I got to the house.

“What flavor is it?” He asked me and I smiled softly opening the cake so that he could see it. I had made this one special for everyone designing my friends around a group of tables eating just like we do at school. On it said ‘friends forever’.

“I think that Tohru-san is going to cry over it. Uo-san too.” I laughed a little bit taking a picture of it so that I could remember it before I cut into it. I showed them the cake and just as he expected the waterworks started.

“I-I-I I don’t know what to say… this is the best thing that anybody has ever done for me!!” Tohru rubbed at her eyes and I laughed at her handing her a kleenex so that she could feel better.

“Really the best thing that somebody has ever done for you has been baking you a cake?” I asked her jokingly and Uo-chan just wrapped me up in a tight hug.

“That’s it Fumi-chan you’re officially the sweetest person alive, no offense Tohru.” Tohru shook her head laughing a little bit. 

“None taken Uo-chan, it looks almost too delicious to eat.” I laughed a little bit, cutting the first piece and giving it to Hana-chan since she was hosting.

“Try it?” I offered her and she nodded her head with a small smile taking her fork and trying a bite from my cake.

“That’s delicious Fumi-chan!!” I smiled a little bit at my best friend as I got everyone else their pieces of cake.

“I think we have some ice cream in the freezer. Let me go and check.” Megumi got up as I cut his slice of cake and Hana-chan sat next to me again.

“This is the best cake that I’ve ever eaten Fumiko it really is.” She told me and I smiled at her as her brother came back with vanilla ice cream.

“Does anybody want any?” I raised my hand and he scooped some onto my plate. I sat back to watch Tigger start to bounce around the screen.

“Was he your childhood favorite? I always loved Eeyore.” I smiled softly at my best friend’s younger brother as he sat back down next to me.

“He reminds me a lot of my younger brother Momiji. He’s adopted but my dad pretty much took him in when his mother gave him up. I related to that so we’ve always been extremely close despite our different personalities.” I pulled my hair out of a braid and I shook out my long dark hair. We finished both movies before I felt my eyes start to droop a little bit.

“Alright ladies, I think that I’ve had enough for one night. I need to get some sleep if I’m going to go and see my uncle. He’s kind of emotionally exhausting so I need to catch some zzz’s.” I leaned my head against the back of the coach. Megumi offered me a hand up and I grabbed my bag to take upstairs to the bathroom. I fixed my Gonzo shirt a little bit and I did a fake kick to the air.

“I probably look so immature and weird in front of them but hey I’m used to it and this is me.” I muttered to myself and brushed my teeth. I went back downstairs and Tohru smiled softly at me.

“Those are really cute!! Did your uncle make them for you?” I shook my head taking my sleeping bag out of the bag that I brought with me.

“No, actually my dad bought me these a few years ago and they still fit. I swear when they don’t it’s going to be an utter travesty.” I joked and I curled into a little ball and she just shook her head at me.

“You don’t need to sleep in a sleeping bag!! We have an extra bed upstairs.” Hana-chan’s mother reminded me. Tohru held my hand so that she could lead me to Hana-chan’s black and purple bedroom. It definitely seemed like some place where my gothic best friend would stay.

“Who do you want to share with?” Uo-chan asked me leaning up against my shoulder and I pointed to Hana-chan.

“I would like to share with you as well.” She agreed, taking my hand and leading me to her bed that was in front of me.

“Is Gonzo your favorite?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face running my hands through my hair.

“He’s been my favorite since I was a little girl. My dad would always watch The Muppets with me in English as well to help me learn the language. I watched a lot of shows in English now that I think about it.” I laid down with Hana-chan next to me on her large bed. She smiled a little bit at me and I sighed comfortably.

“I always loved the female member of the band, what was her name?” Uo-chan asked me and I laughed loudly at her, not even surprised.

“Her name is Janice. She's one of my brother’s favorites. I love Floyd, the main guitarist for the band; he's been my favorite of Electric Mayhem ever since I could remember. Janice was sort of known for talking about inappropriate things during massive group talks and when everybody stops talking she’s still talking. I think that might have been Richard Hunt’s idea for her because after he passed away nobody really paid much attention to the valley girl member of the group.” I started to fall asleep so I grabbed Tigger and Rabbit and snuggled them into my arms. I felt Hana-chan take my other hand that wasn’t occupied and I squeezed it gently. Sleep came to me surprisingly easy considering I was in a house that I wasn’t used to. When the sunlight started to stream through the window I checked my phone seeing that Kakeru had texted me back.

_ My Knight: Holy hell milady those look soo good!! I wish that I could have some of that, bring the leftovers if there are any so that we can eat them on the way please?  _ I laughed a little bit at my overly eccentric boyfriend. I slowly got up to stretch out my limbs and went carefully down the stairs since I knew that most of the family would still be asleep. I got out the ingredients that I would need to bake the cheesecake. I hoped that it would turn out as well as it did the first time around.

_ Me: I’ll bring the cookies with me, don’t worry I’m baking more of them for my uncle’s today for teatime. Tea for me means hot chocolate if you’re not a fan of tea. Mine makes the best hot chocolate of all time!!  _ I put the cookies in the oven and sighed a little bit wiping the sweat from my forehead. I knew that this was only step one of a thousand for me and I would need to keep moving forward in order to achieve my dreams. It would take time and a whole lot of hard work before I got to stand at the front of that mountain.

“Good morning Fumi-chan.” I heard the voice of Megumi come from up the stairs and I smiled softly at him.

“Good morning Megumi!! Did you sleep well?” I asked him and he nodded his head at me. I saw him smile a little bit seeing my Gonzo shirt.

“I did very much. Is that your favorite Muppet?” I laughed a little bit rubbing the back of my neck. I had completely forgotten that I had left my pajamas on before coming downstairs.

“He is actually my favorite!! I’ve always felt like I understood him like you don’t fit in. I’ve struggled for most of my life to find and make friends. Most people just write me off as a strange girl who keeps to herself and would rather play violin than interact with other people. Gonzo to me is a misfit who doesn’t know where his place is until he meets the other Muppets. Even after that he still doesn’t get perfectly understood which is why Muppets From Space is my favorite of that group of films. I know a lot of people found it annoying and not funny but I always die laughing whenever I sit down to watch it.” Megumi sat down at the barstool to keep me company while I got out the rest of the ingredients that I would need to make everyone breakfast.

“What smells so good down here? Did you bake something else?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“It’s a cheesecake that I’m making for teatime with my uncle that I’m going to bring with me. He’s always loved my cheesecake. I make it for him every year for his birthday. Did you like my cake last night?” I asked him and he nodded his head with a small smile on his face. I stirred all the dry mixtures together adding a little splash of maple syrup to the final pancake batter.

“I don’t think that you’re a freak by the way. I think that you were a loner who finally found people that understood her. My sister mentioned that you have a boyfriend?” I felt tears come to my eyes at the kindness that this young boy exuded out of every pore of his being.

“It’s a rather recent development like yesterday recent. I’m extremely happy around him though he’s brought the voice back. Did she tell you how I wasn’t speaking when she first met me?” The young boy nodded his head and I smiled softly at him.

“It wasn’t until I met Kakeru that I started talking again. It’s kind of hard to explain. I think my younger cousin explained it the best. She told me that I needed to learn to use my words for somebody that was important to me but outside of the family. It’s hard when you’ve locked all your words away to know the proper moment when you can say what you’ve had on your mind all this time.” As I told him about how I had interacted with the whole locking my words away problem. 

“My sister once did the same thing with her words when she was being badly bullied. They called her a witch because of her wave powers. I couldn’t do anything to stop it, I was too young to do anything at the time. I know that it hurt her and that’s why she’s probably so close with you. Because she knows what that feels like to be lost and alone even though you have all of these people around you. Are you taking your boyfriend with you to meet your uncle?” I nodded my head with a small smile pouring the first pancake into the griddle.

“Yes I am going to take him with me to meet him!! Hopefully he’s not too embarrassing he can be extremely humiliating at the best of times. He’s never really had the opportunity to meet a boy that I was interested in.” I made pancakes for the younger brother as my friends started to come downstairs.

“Oh Fumi-chan!! Hana I found her. She's down here keeping your brother company and making more food for us. Those look really good squirt.” I smiled brightly at Uo-chan as I started to get to work on making her pancakes.

“I can do the rest of them Fumi-chan you sit down and take a break. You’re going to work yourself to death if you keep going the way you are.” Tohru told me nearly shoving me out of the kitchen and Hana-chan came down dressed in her traditional black garbs.

“There you are, when I woke up and you were gone I should have known you’d be back in the kitchen.” I laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of my neck as Hana-chan got a glass of water.

“I was keeping her company, she looked like she just wanted to talk to somebody. She was telling me about her uncle.” Megumi told his sister and she sat down next to him at the bar taking my hand in her’s.

“She loves talking about her uncle. I think we know enough about him to know him ourselves already.” I laughed a little bit at my best friend pushing a lock of hair behind my ear as Uo-chan got out some oranges.

“If I bring these over there you think you can make some fresh squeezed orange juice out of these?” She asked me and I nodded my head seeing that they were enough jumbo sized bag.

“Of course I can!! Do you have a juicer Hana-chan?” I asked her and she nodded getting up and grabbing it from the top of the cabinets.

“I make fresh orange juice actually every weekend back home. My dad loved it so he would have me make it in bulk as well.” Megumi smiled a little bit at me as I stood up on the ends of the barstool to make the juice.

“You don’t talk about your dad a lot, do you have a bad relationship with him? Is that why you’re staying with your uncle?” I shook my head, squeezing the juice out of the first couple oranges that Uo-chan was halving in front of me.

“No I have a great relationship with my dad. It’s just he’s the family doctor so he’s always busy and never really had much time for me with the head of the family always being sick and whatnot. I learned pretty young how to cook and take care of myself because my dad tends to forget to eat due to how busy he gets. That’s why I spent so much time with my uncle after my brother was adopted. He could only have one kid around at a time and he would switch off days where I would be with him or my brother would be.” I smiled a little bit talking about growing up with my dad. It was a lot of me reading books or finding ways to occupy myself because of patients coming in and out.

“I can understand that. You had cousins that you were close to as well right?” I nodded my head with a bright smile taking another group of oranges to their juicy demise.

“Yes I did, well I have two cousins that I tend to gravitate towards the most Hatsuharu or as we call him just plain Haru and Kyo the other outcast of my family. Both of them I grew up with because we all did martial arts together.” I finished the oranges off and came out with a massive jug of orange juice. The other members of Hana-chan’s family all joined us and we had breakfast together after I changed into my dress for the day. It was another creation of my uncle’s design. He had made me a dress that was themed to all the side characters in Beauty And The Beast and paired it with a lilac belt around the middle since the dress was purple. I brushed my hair out knowing that since today was a date with Kakeru he would want to see my hair down.

“Are you leaving us Fumi-chan?” Hana-chan’s mother asked me and I nodded my head with a shy smile. I took the plate that I had used yesterday and put the cheesecake inside of that with the rest of the cookies that I had baked.

“Yes ma’am. I have to meet my boyfriend at the train station in half an hour and I wanted to call my dad on the way there.” I hugged my friends goodbye and told them that I would see them tomorrow at school. I got my phone out once I left the house and heard it ringing as my dad picked up the phone. 

_ “Hatori Sohma, who’s calling?”  _ I kept telling my dad to get caller ID on his phone but I laughed a little bit at his usual stoic way of speaking.

“Hi daddy!!” I greeted and I smiled up at the sun with my basket full of treats that I had worked hard to bake for my uncle.

_ “Hi Fumiko, how are you feeling sweetheart?”  _ He asked me and I smiled a little bit up at the sky since it was another perfect day.

“I’m feeling good dad!! I assume that Momiji already told you about the fact that I’m dating Kakeru now?” I heard his small laugh telling me that my brother had shown him the picture of the two of us even though he had never replied to my text. I guessed that he was busy when I texted him and he just kinda forgot.

_ “He did, he showed me the picture and if he hadn’t had your uncle was already way ahead of him. You should know better than to tell Aya anything about these princesses. You know he’s a blabbermouth and will talk about anything and everything if it involves gossip and you.”  _ I laughed at the idea of my uncle calling him excitedly and my dad having to hold the phone away from his ear because he was talking too loudly.

“I knew telling him he would blab to you and uncle Shi that’s precisely why I told him. I wanted to ask you something, it’s a little bit awkward but it’s about mom.” I sighed a little bit knowing that this conversation would need to happen. 

_ “What do you want to ask me Fumiko?”  _ I put my hand in my pocket that wasn’t holding the basket getting out my fidget toy.

“Did Momiji tell you about my music showcase coming up? Because it’s about that as well.” I asked him and I heard his hum of approval.

_ “He did tell me about that and I’m very proud of you for agreeing to do it. I know that you’ll be amazing out there.”  _ I smiled at my dad’s encouragement pushing a stray lock of black hair behind my ear.

“Okay I’ll get to the point, I was wondering if I played Cat Stevens would you not come?” I heard my dad’s intake of breath and I prepared myself for the worst.

_ “Fumiko I don’t think that I won’t not come if you did that. It’s accepting that part of your life that isn’t pure or the best thing ever. What song were you thinking?”  _ I spun my toy around my finger with a small smile on my face.

“Well uncle Aya used to tell me that she used to sing Sad Lisa to me when I was in her belly so I wanted to sing that one. It’ll probably be separate from everybody else’s or that’s what I’ll open up with I haven’t decided firmly yet but I don’t want it to be a part of yours I know that.” I heard the soft shuffling of papers in the background.

_ “It’s okay if it is a part of mine Fumiko I can understand why you’d be scared to talk to me about this kind of thing but it’s high time that I was more open with you about this kind of thing. That was her favorite song to sing to you. I think she related to those sad lyrics but I would love to hear you play that one. So about your boyfriend, do you think you might be able to sneak into Sohma house so I can meet him?”  _ I laughed a little bit nodding my head since I knew that my dad would have wanted to meet him.

“The house is big enough and me and Momiji used to sneak out every weekend to go to the movies so I should be able to get it done. Besides everyone is busy right now anyways with their own things so it should be easier to sneak inside and not be noticed by anybody. The tricky thing is to get through the house without being noticed by Akito or Kureno because they have eyes everywhere.” I clenched my shoulders a little bit and I could hear the soft tones of my dad’s voice calming me down.

_ “Oh sweetheart, you just leave those two to me. I’ll make sure that Shigure comes to visit on the same day that you do and you don’t have to worry about Kureno. I’ll talk with him and he’ll let you go if he sees you. Your brother wants to meet him too and Haru does as well so it would be best to bring him around.”  _ I smiled at the idea of Haru wanting to be a protective little brother with me. He had always been protective over me. It was a little bit ironic because I was older than he was.

“Okay I’ll bring him by the house probably won’t be for a few more weeks yet. Oh I want to tell you something!! I figured out what I want to do with my future.” I told him excitedly bouncing on the heels of my shoes.

_ “Oh did you now?”  _ I laughed a little bit tightening my overnight bag over my shoulder as I walked towards the train station where I was meeting my boyfriend.

“Well uncle Shi helped me out a lot, he sat me down yesterday before my sleepover. He told me that he wanted to make sure I was no longer nervous or anxious about the future. I cooked dinner for them all the night before last and everyone gobbled it right up. He told me that I should maybe consider opening up my own restaurant. My idea is a little bit ambitious for right now but I have an idea of what I want to do. I want to open a Studio Ghibli themed restaurant.” My dad listened to me and I could hear the happy sigh leave him.

_ “Princess you can do whatever you want and I will always support you. It doesn’t matter what you want to do with your life as long as you're happy about it. I know that you stress sometimes and that the older ladies put a lot of unnecessary pressure on you. Telling you that you had to be perfect, going so far as to burn your clothes simply because you weren’t in the mood to be polite to an egotistical suitor. You’ve always excelled at cooking and you love those films so much. I will of course encourage you to move forward with this endeavor.”  _ I smiled brightly at the fact that I had almost nothing to worry about. My dad might have been busy growing up but he would always support me and push me forward.

“I’m going to take a lot of jobs for cooking in high school. I want to learn how to make fresh ramen. That's one of the first things on the list. I want to make the Ponyo ham ramen for when Lin comes home.” My dad laughed openly at me and I could feel the mirth coming off of him in waves.

_ “I know that she would love that especially if it came from you. It’s going to be a lot of work for you especially but you’ve always got me in your corner.”  _ I nodded my head as I approached the train station.

“Dad? I’m going to have to go, I’m at the train station. I love you.” I sighed a little bit. I hadn’t expected to miss him nearly as much as my heart was. But I also knew that I needed to be here and I finally had my freedom that I had wished for so furiously growing up. I never thought that I would have the will to make my own life decisions.

_ “Alright Fumiko, just call me when you have the free time to do so. I miss you. I love you too!! Have fun with your uncle.”  _ I hung up looking around on my tip toes for my boyfriend when I felt a pair of arms give me a backwards hug.

“Hi milady.” I looked up seeing my boyfriend and I laughed a little bit at his eccentric nature. He was so cute and he had actually cleaned up really nicely in a button down and nice pants.

“Hi my knight, you look great. Trying to make a good impression?” I joked and he laughed a little bit at me.

“You caught me he is your uncle I was trying to make myself seem much more put together than I actually am.” I looked up at his chocolate pools and I smiled at him. I put my hands on top of his with a small smile on my face.

“You’ll be fine sweetheart, I promise you will. Just trust me on this he will adore you. You two have a lot in common as I’ve already mentioned. I brought some sweets. Do you want a cookie?” I asked him and he nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Feed it to me?” He asked as I blushed a bright pink feeding him one of the sweets that I had worked so hard to make. Hearing the sound of sheer satisfaction did make me feel so much better though.

“Okay yep these are literally the best thing ever!! I love these so much they’re delicious Fumi-chan!!” He encouraged me and I kissed him gently. I hadn’t even realized that people were starting to look at us a little bit strangely.

“I’ll tell you about why I’ve been on this huge baking spree on the train. I think we’re causing a scene though a lot of people are looking at us strangely.” I protested and he smiled at me pressing a kiss to my nose.

_ “Train to Akihabara station…”  _ I followed the instructions of the speaker and followed them to the line where the train would be coming.

“So what’s with all the baking? Trying to fatten me up?” Kakeru joked and I rolled my eyes at him laughing.

“No goofball, my uncle Shigure gave me this idea yesterday. You know how I’ve been massively stressing out about the future because I don’t know what I want to do with my life yet?” I asked him and he nodded his head. Before he could open his mouth and tell me that it wasn’t relevant yet I pressed on.

“I’ve always had to do the cooking for my dad and my brother until I taught my brother all of my recipes last year because I knew I’d want to go to high school away from the house and stay with uncle Shi or uncle Aya. At that point I hadn’t decided yet. My dad often forgets to cook and he could burn water so I studied how to make delicious food from a young age. I thought that if I could do this one thing and get that weight off of his shoulders then I would be useful. Well I made dinner to thank my family for letting me stay with them and everybody loved it. So when I got back from the mall yesterday uncle Shi sat me down and gave me this idea. He told me that I didn’t have to know exactly what I wanted to do but just having a basic idea is good. When he mentioned the restaurant I got this big idea. It’s extremely ambitious and it probably won’t ever come to fruition but I’ve got the drive and the gumption to want to do my best. I want to open up the first of its kind, a Studio Ghibli restaurant.” I clenched my first talking about my dream and my boyfriend leaned his forehead against mine.

“If that’s what your dream is milady then count me in. I will do everything within my power to support you emotionally and physically making sure that you take breaks. I’ll be there whether this idea of yours succeeds or fails and you have to go for second best. And that’s okay too if this all doesn’t work out. You have to keep that in mind. But just know that I’m going to be by your side together and we'll figure out this whole adulting thing.” I laughed at my boyfriend leaning my head on his shoulder even though I had to stand on my tiptoes in order to do so. 

“I know that it won’t be easy in fact I’m expecting for it to be extremely difficult but I’m prepared for that emotionally. I know there is a very high chance of failure but I’m going to work a bunch of cooking apprenticeships in high school. I still want to celebrate my high school years with you and my other friends. I just know that I want to achieve this dream no matter what. Even if it takes me a long time. I think my dream location would be in Akihabara because there is already so much nerdiness going on over there that I’ll be able to bring in a lot of customers with the nightlife and everything.” I reasoned and my boyfriend pulled me into his side as the train came pulling into the station that would take us to my uncle’s shop.

“I love that idea. Actually, I think that you’ll find a lot of people that will love and support you. Did your dad like your idea?” I nodded my head with a small laugh. I found us a place to sit down since it was still early in the afternoon that we could get to the next station within forty minutes.

“He did actually love the idea mostly. I think he would appreciate everything that I had come up with. As long as it was something that I loved I think he would be fine with it. That’s kinda what I love about my dad he’s always been like whatever makes you happy you go and do that.” My boyfriend leaned his head against my shoulder smiling at me.

“What was your favorite Cat Stevens song when you were little?” He asked me curiously and I gave him another cookie, one of the jelly ones this time.

“My favorite song of his when I was little was probably Don’t Be Shy. That song is so beautiful and so true to how I live my own life now that I’m a little bit older. I’ve learned to just take things at phase value and sometimes you can’t help the things that happen to you. It’s easier to just let your voice speak louder than those that hurt you. I decided though that I’m going to be playing Sad Lisa for the showcase. I’m replacing A Town With An Ocean View because as much as that song means to me I never really publicly accepted the bad parts of my life.” Kakeru intwined his fingers with mine pressing a kiss to the back of my knuckle. I could tell that he was nervous about meeting my uncle and what would happen as most of the ride was spent in companionable silence.

“Everything will be fine Kakeru love, don’t worry about it.” I comforted him once the train came to a stop.

“I know I’m just really nervous. What if he doesn’t accept me as a suitable boyfriend for you?” I couldn’t help the laugh that left me.

“Honey, I know that you’ve never met my uncle before but he isn’t the type to do that to somebody. If I know him he’ll see how happy you make me and he’ll encourage you. If anything he’ll be absolutely one hundred percent embarrassing so I would just prepare myself for embarrassing stories because he has a lot of them.” I mentioned it to him and he smiled softly at me kissing me gently.

“How do you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better?” He asked me and I laughed a little bit as the train came to a stop.

“I could ask you the same question my knight. Come on!! Let’s go and see my uncle.” I held his hand going up the subway stairs and I saw the busy streets of Akihabara in front of me. I had basically grown up around this place because of all the visits that I had made to my uncle. I followed the path to the shop like it was a second nature and saw the closed sign that I had become accustomed to on Sunday’s.

“Mine?” I called into the shop seeing the familiar brown hair in pigtails as my boyfriend looked around a little bit nervously. I squeezed his hand encouragingly trying to make him feel less awkward here.

“Oh Fumi-chan!! Your uncle is upstairs in his loft waiting for you. You must be Manabe right? She talked about you the other day!! I’m Mine Kuramae, I’m her uncle’s assistant. I help him out basically with everything that involves clothing. You can try on your yukata today as well. He's been busy with that for quite a while. Ever since last years…incident.” I sighed a little bit at my old friend as she talked about the darker time in my life.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mine she talked about you quite a bit as well. She told me about that incident and it was ugly. I couldn’t stand that I wasn’t able to protect her when she needed to.” Mine smiled at my boyfriend and I could tell that she was instantly shipping the two of us together.

“I know that it really tore him up that he couldn’t keep her safe. He regrets a lot of things but having the relationship that he does with Fumi-chan isn’t one of them. There’s no need to be nervous really. He’s a good person he tries his hardest to provide for her the only way he can with clothing. He does the same thing for Ritsu, one of her other cousins.” I smiled brightly at the mention of Ritsu. I never got to say goodbye to him, hopefully I would see him again soon within the next few weeks.

“I’ll show you to the loft Manabe-kun.” She told me and I laughed a little bit at my old friend’s eccentric nature. Mine led us up the stairs and I smiled brightly at my boyfriend.

“I’m surprised that she told you about the clothes. I thought that she’d carry that horrible story until the day that she died. I don’t even think she ever really told Haru what happened, I don’t think she needed to. He just kind of knew. They’ve always been close ever since I met her they can basically read each other's minds.” Mine explained a little bit to Kakeru as he hung on every word that my uncle’s assistant was telling him.

“He’s one of the ones that I’m most excited to meet considering he got her out of that last bad spot too. She already told me about his bipolar disorder and I don’t really care much. Everyone has mental health issues and things that they struggle with.” Mine held the door open for us at the top of the stairs and I saw the long silvery hair of my uncle. 

“Boss!! Your niece and her boyfriend are here.” I saw my uncle’s eyes just light up and he opened his arms to me for a hug.

“I’m glad that you could come my darling, it’s not the same not seeing you everyday. Gure told me that you were planning on staying there?” I nodded my head with a sad smile on my face. As much as I wanted to just pack up everything and leave again I knew that I would only be a burden on everybody if I moved again after I just got settled.

“As much as I want to come back it would just burden you and uncle Shi worked so hard to make sure that I was comfortable there painting my room and everything. I’m sorry.” I apologized and he shushed me gently.

“Don’t you dare apologize to me about silly things like this. It just gets a little bit lonely without you here that’s all. I miss you.” He told me and I felt tears come to my eyes as I laughed a little bit.

“You just saw me the other day, but I miss you too.” I dried my eyes and my boyfriend looked between the two of us with a small smile.

“Oh wherever are my manners!! I am her uncle Ayame Sohma, I grew up with her father Hatori and we’ve been close ever since we were children much to his discretion.” I laughed at the relationship between my uncle and my dad. Needless to say they both irritated the ever loving crap out of him.

“I’m her desk partner at school and her boyfriend Kakeru Manabe. It’s very nice to meet you sir, she talks about you all of the time.” I saw the corner of my uncle’s face turn up into one of his small genuine smiles.

“There’s no need to be so stiff!! Don’t worry you won’t get any threats from me. I'd rather save those for her father, her younger cousin Hiro and Haru. They’ve always been protective over her. I however can see in the way that my niece talks about you that you are very important to her. I’ve always been overly clingy with her ever since she was a baby. I was probably trying to make up for her lack of a mother figure and I tried to sort of become that for her since gender was never really a straight line for me.” My uncle waved off the overly formal way that Kakeru was acting and I could see my boyfriend’s shoulders loosen.

“He was so nervous coming over here I told him that you weren’t the type to hate on another person but he didn’t listen to me.” My boyfriend leaned his head against my shoulder and I smiled softly at him.

“Her dad went through a lot when he was with Kanna. I never wanted that life for my niece. If I had it my way she would have had a complete family but it just wasn’t possible. Did she tell you what happened?” He nodded his head with a sad smile on his face and tightened his arm around my waist.

“She did. It broke my heart to hear that her mother had to suffer for something that wasn’t even her fault. She only wanted to be happy and in love but did he really just snap?” I sighed a little bit running my fingers through my hair. 

“Akito is kind of known for just changing personalities on the drop of a dime. It’s what happened with me and now I have to deal with all of this.” I gestured to my face and Kakeru just kissed my cheek.

“I don’t care about the scars to me, they don’t really matter. They are proof of your survival.” He told me and I felt my heart start to beat faster.

“I always wanted for my Fumi-chan to find her own love. It’s been something that I’ve hoped for since she was born. To have the love that most of us Sohma’s never can because of Akito’s controlling nature. I’m lucky that I got out but I have my own demons too. I wanted her to have as few of them as possible but sadly that just wasn’t the way of the world.” My heart went out to my uncle and I could see the tears pooling in his eyes.

“I’m sorry I told myself that I wouldn’t cry when you got here. I just… I can’t believe how much you’ve grown up. You’ve become such an amazing young woman constantly trying to do your best to make people proud of you. I’m so proud of you my darling Fumi-chan. More than you know.” My uncle took a tissue that was there and sighed a little bit drying his eyes. I went over to him so that I could give him another hug.

“I love you uncle Aya, so much. You’ve always been one of my favorite people. I always thought that you were so strong and when I was younger I wanted to grow up to be just like you. Those days that I spent with you were the best of my childhood. I wouldn’t have traded a better family for anything in the world. Yeah my family is dysfunctional and a mess but it’s also it’s own brand of perfect. Besides I have you in it so that alone makes it the best family ever.” My uncle hugged me back resting his chin on my head.

“You brought so much back to my life I never thought that I’d want to play music again. Not until you. I want to make things better with Yuki. I can’t have him keep being indifferent to my existence.” I smiled softly at my uncle’s promise that he made to me pulling back from the hug.

“He’s stubborn it’ll take some time but I know that you’ll get their one of these days uncle. You’re persistent, he gave that trait to me.” I joked and my boyfriend just laughed at the two of us interacting.

“Are you two related by blood in any way?” I shook my head with a sad smile on my face pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I’m sure that we are in some way but the lines are so skewed in our family tree that it’s kind of hard to tell. As far as both of us know we just share the same last name.” My uncle laughed a little bit standing next to me.

“She used to follow me around like a little chick when I first opened my shop. She was my first assistant and I taught her everything I know. I used to want for her to take over my shop but I knew that she would have to find her own destiny.” I smiled softly at the mention of my future walking back over to my boyfriend.

“About that, I wanted to talk to you about my future. I had a talk with uncle Shi yesterday because he knows how I get when I’m nervous about things like this. A lot of people have been questioning what I want to do with my life and a lot of them have been sort of pressuring me to go to the music route.” I explained a little bit of backstory and Kakeru took my hand in his and smiled softly at me.

“Of course you don’t have to do my darling. I want you to find something that you are comfortable with doing for the rest of your life. I know that playing music in public gives you anxiety and if you don’t enjoy doing it after this showcase I’m still proud of you for going this long with it.” I nodded my head grabbing my basket that I had put down on the ground before I had hugged my uncle.

“I know that I don’t have to and that it’s up to me to find my own destiny. Now that I have the freedom that I’ve always wanted I know a general idea of what I want to do. It involves my love of cooking and baking-“ I was interrupted with a loud gasp from my uncle and I just knew that he was already reading my mind.

“You want to open the first Studio Ghibli themed restaurant don’t you?! Oh that’s an amazing idea!! You’ve always been so passionate about animation. I fully support you and this dream of yours.” My heart squeezed at the fact that he had known exactly what I was thinking before I had even told him.

“Did uncle Shigure already tell you?” I asked him skeptically and my boyfriend just laughed a little bit at me.

“I think he knows you just that well milady. That reaction was genuine. Have you tried her treats before?” Kakeru asked my uncle and I sat down on the soft couch across from him as he nodded his head enthusiastically. My boyfriend sat down next to me his hand never leaving mine.

“She bakes me a Japanese cheesecake every year for my birthday. It’s always been my favorite thing about turning another year older is seeing her smile and give me something that she worked so hard to make. She makes it themed to the cake that Zeniba has for Chihiro in the tea party scene from Spirited Away. I used to watch that movie with her all the time when she was younger.” I handed him the basket and he teared up a little bit seeing that I had brought the whole teatime meal this time around.

“The cookies are delicious by the way, both the chocolate and the jelly filled ones.” Kakeru remarked and I laughed a little bit at him.

“I’m still going to go to high school with everyone that I’ve met within the last couple of days. I don’t want to be separated from this goofball yet.” I jerked a thumb at my boyfriend who jokingly blinked at me.

“Goofball me?” He asked and I laughed a little bit, nodding my head at him. My uncle watched the two of us with a small sad smile on his face.

“She means it lovingly of course, she always used to call me a goofball when I did something overly exuberant to make her laugh when she was younger. I was always doing really self deprecating things to make her laugh. I wanted to give her a childhood full of laughter even if it meant that she rolled her eyes at me and called me an idiot it still meant that I had gotten her to laugh at me.” My boyfriend nodded his head with an understanding look in his eyes. I knew that these two would relate to each other mostly on the grounds that they were both so different and yet so similar at the same time. 

“That was the first thing that I noticed about her was how cute her laugh was. I knew that if I just kept making her laugh then I would get in her good graces. I want to be with her for as long as she’ll have me sir. I’m serious about her more than I’ve ever been about anything in my entire life.” He swore and I saw my uncle’s eyes widen before a genuine smile lit up his face as he took my hand in his.

“Fumi-chan I see now that you won’t need me in the same way anymore. I’ll still be here whenever you want to spend weekends with me or talk with me. I was worried a little bit about the fact that you got together with him so quickly but I understand it. You have my blessing for my niece’s heart Kakeru Manabe. Just don’t hurt her I beg of you. She’s already been through so much that I couldn’t help. If I wasn’t there again when I could have been then I don’t know what I would do.” My boyfriend smiled at me and he kissed my cheek. I took a couple of deep breaths feeling like there was this huge weight on my chest.

“I’ll always need you uncle Aya, you’ll always be necessary in my life. You couldn’t possibly ever be replaced, not ever. I might be a little bit busier now that I have a goal that I desperately want to achieve, a boyfriend unexpectedly and a group of female friends but there will always be a spot in my heart for my favorite uncle. I spent so much of my childhood around you and I’m not going to stop now. You’ve worked so hard to bring me joy over the course of my life. I’m okay now though. I’m feeling happier and just generally enjoying life a lot more than I was a few months ago. You were always there when I needed a safe place to stay or when my dad was too busy to look after me and Momiji at the same time. Just thank you for everything.” I thanked him for always taking care of me and when I saw the tears in his eyes and Kakeru let go of my hand I was being wrapped up in a huge hug.

“You are such a sweet niece, my door is always open to you no matter what might come your way. If you start feeling awkward at Gure’s you just come straight here you hear me?” I nodded my head against his shoulder as Mine came up the stairs carrying the drinks for us.

“Aww man did I miss an emotional talk? Dang it I wanted a hug.” She pouted and I laughed a little bit before giving her a hug. I had never really given her a hug before since I hadn’t been comfortable enough to do so without uncle Aya initiating it and calling it a group hug.

“This is the first time that I remember you giving me a hug of your own volition.” Uncle Aya took the tray of drinks from her and I laughed a little bit.

“I’m sorry about that, I know I’ve known you for most my life but I think I was so often attached to his side that I was really socially awkward if it was just me and you.” She pulled back from the hug taking my hands.

“It’s no big deal sweetheart, you’ve been through a lot and I can’t possibly judge you for that. Do you want to try on your new clothes? There is more than just the yukata. There’s a special surprise hoodie in the mix as well.” She teased and I could see the slight sparkle of mischief in her gaze.

“This one is actually Mine made for you. She wanted to make you something that was all her own.” My uncle told me and I nodded my head since I wanted to see what she had worked so hard to make for me.

“I would love to see what you made for me Mine!!” I encouraged her and she led me to the back room and I closed my eyes as a tradition. Ever since I was little my uncle had always told me to close my eyes before he unveiled a creation to me. It had become a habit and a running joke the older I got. 

“And you can open your eyes now!!” She told me and when I opened them in front of me stood a very special hoodie themed to one of my childhood favorite characters. 

“Is that?” I asked her and she nodded her head, flipping it up so that I could see the full hoodie. It was themed to Roger Rabbit. I felt tears come to my eyes at the thought as he must have had to work so hard on this to make it look accurate to the animated quirky rabbit.

“I love it, I love it thank you so much Mine. You have no idea what this means to me…” I trailed off and she just shook her head with a small smile on her face.

“Try it on for me?” I nodded my head excitedly, putting the new hoodie on and zipping it up flipping it over my head. I looked at my reflection in the mirror seeing just how nerdy this thing was but it still felt like me.

“Oh my goodness you look so cute!! I also made you these.” She showed me the suspender dress that was red and it had a fitted shirt with Roger on it. I looked on the skirt seeing Roger on one end and Jessica on the other.

“I love that so much, it’s so cute. Thank you for everything Mine. I know that it was never easy to try and relate to me but you make my uncle so happy.” The assistant to my uncle for the last four years put her arm around my shoulder with a small smile on her face.

“Hey, don’t you start crying on me otherwise you’ll ruin the makeup that you need to put on in order for this to work. This is going to be complicated. If you ever do wear this I recommend that you come here for help putting it on.” She advised me as she started to get to work on helping me put on the surprisingly light yukata. I closed my eyes so that I could be surprised when she had finally finished with everything.

“Your hair is almost never done, I love it like this it’s beautiful.” She reminded me and I smiled a little bit as she took the front part of it and put it up into a bun just like the anime counterpart.

“Kakeru prefers it this way and I like to indulge him in small ways. Even if it gets in my face much more often. I would rather make him happy with this than have him pout at me like he did at science class the other day when I had to tie it back.” I joked and Mine just laughed a little bit at me.

“And you can open your eyes now.” She told me and I looked into the mirror with a small smile on my face.

“It looks perfect. He did a really great job on this. It must have taken him a lot of hard work to get this actually movie accurate when she was spinning in the cheery blossoms.” I spun around in a small circle as Mine took a video on her phone.

“I know that he’s going to want to see you in all of these eventually but for right now you can take it off. I know that you’ll probably never get the opportunity to wear this but it’s beautiful and he wants to spoil you in his own special way. Besides I think it boosts his ego just a little bit.” I laughed at her as she held the door open for me and I took a deep breath. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear as suddenly this massive nervous energy appeared in front of me that I couldn’t stop.

“It’ll be alright, just go out there and be yourself.” She reminded me with a small smile on her face as my uncle looked up at me with a smile on his face. 

“Oh my darling it suits you perfectly. Even if you never get the opportunity to truly wear it outside I’m still glad that I was able to make it.” Kakeru looked at me as if his breath was taken away.

“I think you broke him Fumi-chan.” Mine teased and I couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that left me.

“I have never seen anything more beautiful in all my life.” I smiled at my boyfriend as my shoulders relaxed.

“Go put on your regular clothes again my darling Fumi-chan that can’t be comfortable. Besides I mostly made it just to prove to you that I could.” I rolled my eyes at him because of course that was the truth. Mine helped me get the yukata off and helped me wash off the makeup and I put my Beauty And The Beast dress back on.

“Thank you for both of these Mine. You have no idea what these mean to me, if I could get away with wearing these at the showcase I would.” She laughed openly at me as I grabbed my new clothes.

“While that would be adorable and completely you I don’t think that would be appropriate for the setting. I’m sure that you’ll figure out something.” She encouraged me and I took the clothes off of the mannequins in front of me.

“I think I have something already in my closet that should be perfectly serviceable. I don’t want him to have to make me more clothes if I can help it.” She put her arm around my shoulders rolling her eyes at me.

“Well you could always move back here your closet space here is huge.” She remarked and I sighed a little bit running my fingers through my hair.

“If I get into a fight with Yuki it might be my only option. We’re already kind of skating on thin ice as it is. I don’t think we can ever go back to the way that we were before the first argument even happened. I don’t even remember what I said. I only remember what he said to me.” Kakeru patted the seat next to me and I flopped down next to him. I snuggled into his side and Mine sat down next to my uncle.

“Are you okay sweetheart?” He asked me and I nodded my head with a small smile on my face as he kissed my forehead.

“I’m fine, just had a bit of an emotional conversation with Mine. I’m fine my knight thank you for being so good at comforting me.” He nuzzled my nose against his and my uncle took pictures of me.

“Just sending these to Gure don’t mind me.” I laughed at my uncle’s antics shaking my head at him. I would never want for him to change there was nothing I would want him to be different for but sometimes he was massively over the top.

“Who’s Gure?” Kakeru whispered to me and I chuckled at the childish nickname for my other uncle.

“Gure is my uncle Shigure, I’ve been calling him uncle Shi for most of my life because when I was younger I couldn’t say either of their full names. So when I was three I heard uncle shi call him Aya and that’s when he became uncle Aya.” I explained to him taking my cup of hot chocolate that was inside of a Jiji mug that Mine had gotten made for me when I moved in a few months ago.

“What did you two talk about?” I blew on my drink carefully before taking a sip with a sad smile on my face.

“If me and Yuki get into another verbal spat what would happen. I think if that happens I might move back here at least until Lin comes back and who knows how long that will take. She was always the mediator between us after our argument happened. We never really healed after that conversation. He called me a whore and I just couldn’t talk to him the same way after that. He hurt me very openly and even though I love him sometimes he just hurts me.” Kakeru leaned his head against my shoulder with a sad and a little bit of an angry expression on his face.

“How could he call you that?! If he was your friend then he should have stood by you.” I sighed a little bit and my uncle continued the conversation.

“It was hard for Yuki pretty much since birth because he was always sick and being Akito’s favorite made things never easy. He was isolated from a really young age and Fumi-chan and Akito were the only ones that could go and see him. The only reason why she was allowed was because she was Hatori’s daughter and she could see anybody in either isolation rooms or in quarantine. So his social skills are really bad but that’s not an excuse. He got angry and jealous of the fact that at that age I still preferred Fumi-chan over him. From the moment that she opened her eyes I promised myself that I would protect and look out for her. I was the first person that she asked what a whore was when she was four. She asked me if that was a bad thing and why everybody kept calling her that. When Yuki called her that word something in my niece broke. She couldn’t be around him anymore and she stopped going to visit him fully. She stayed with me for a solid four months after that thankfully it was during summer break so she had the time to. They were close for so long so losing that bond.” I leaned against my boyfriend’s shoulder as he ran his fingers through my hair. 

“Oh milady, I am going to protect you. I wish that you didn’t have to stay with him. Why are you staying there if he hurt you so badly?” I shrugged my shoulders with my hair falling in front of my eyes.

“Because uncle Shi offered to have me stay with him. I don’t have a very good relationship with him because he didn’t have enough time to look out for me when I was growing up. So I don’t like seeing Yuki everyday but we’ve so far been fine.” I kissed Kakeru’s cheek gently and he just leaned his head over mine.

“It’s going to be okay milady, if he does offer you any trouble I’ll help you get everything over here. I think that you would be happier here. I know that you love your other uncle but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t go and visit him. I do think that you should be with them for the moment but the second that things turn on their head you're out of there.” He promised me and I couldn’t help but sigh a little bit.

“Trust me if he says anything I’m packing my things and I’m getting the hell out of dodge until he apologizes and even then I doubt I’ll ever be able to go back the same way.” I smiled at my uncle as he took a slice of cheesecake in front of him sighing.

“This is so good Fumi-chan I mean your cheesecakes are always delicious but you’ve really outdone yourself this time. Would you like some Kakeru?” My uncle asked my boyfriend and he nodded his head nearly salivating.

“Yes please sir thank you.” I laughed a little bit when my uncle rolled his golden eyes at him smiling gently.

“Please call me Ayame, sir doesn’t really suit me right. I’d save the formal stuff for Tori.” My boyfriend laughed a little bit nervously.

“My dad might look intimidating but I wouldn’t worry too much about it Kakeru. He knows how much you mean to me and he’s willing to accept the first person that makes me truly happy. Well he’s going to have to put up with you. By the way I haven’t thanked you for the cape or the necklace yet. Thank you very much uncle.” I thanked him and he caught a glimpse of the red necklace around my neck.

“You can open any door if you only have the key. That was my favorite movie to watch with her when she was growing up. I never tried to hide the darkness of the real world from her. Secret of Nimh is dark but it’s also about loving this life that you have and learning that your true inner strength is necessary.” He quoted off the top of his head and I couldn’t help but smile softly at my uncle.

“What was the movie that you watched with her the most?” I laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of my neck knowing that this was going to be embarrassing story time.

“Well other than that one it was probably the old 80’s movie Labyrinth. It had David Bowie in it as the main villain just having way too much fun being a traditional baddie. But she loved that movie as a little girl. I think the only time she’s ever fallen in love with a villain was that movie. I promised her when she was little that if she ever got married it would be a spin on Sarah’s masquerade ball gown. When she was a little girl I would teach her how to ballroom dance with the movie in the background. It was the cutest thing ever!!” He squealed looking around his loft for a photograph and showed it to my boyfriend as I shrank a little bit.

“She was so tiny and cute…” I looked at the picture and saw a tinier version of me that was holding hands with my uncle as he taught me how to properly dance.

“You bet she was!! She still was cute by the time that I came around but I wish I could have been there when she was a baby. I would have loved her just as much then as I did now.” I smiled over at Mine as she took one of my cookies sighing.

“This is the first time I’ve ever tried your cookies before, they’re delicious!! The boss always tries to save leftovers of the cheesecake for as long as possible in the fridge but they never go a full week.” I cracked a tiny smile thinking about how I had grown up around this chaotic person but he had raised me in his own special way.

“I’ll be the first to admit that they usually only last about four days after my birthday. I can’t help it if it’s delicious!!” He protested and I laughed openly at him pushing the hair out of my eyes with a small smile on my face.

“I’m just glad that you enjoy it, that's why I brought it. I’m going to start trying out new recipes soon for the restaurant idea that I have.” Mine looked at me with a small smile on her face as she quickly put the pieces together as well. 

“A Studio Ghibli restaurant would suit you quite well indeed. Did you already tell your dad?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“He was of course encouraging as he always is towards anything that I want to do. This is my dad that we’re talking about. He's basically one of the most encouraging people that I’ve ever met in my entire life. I love him more than anything. I might not have spent a lot of time around him when I was really small because of how much he worried that I would get hurt but once I got older I realized just how amazing and strong he really is.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and my boyfriend snuggled into my side on the couch.

“I know that the older ladies at the house always put a lot of pressure on you but Tori was always proud of you. He’s the quiet type but once he gets talking about you it’s kind of difficult to get him to shut up.” I laughed a little bit knowing that my uncle had always been one of the most prolific figures in my life.

“I’m so proud of myself if I’m being honest. I feel like I’ve finally started to move forward. I know that I’ve been through a lot but I’m becoming more open about what I’ve been through. I’d like to maybe get a therapist and fully get over this emotional trauma. I know that I can’t talk about everything in our family but I’d like to talk about some of the things. Mostly not having my mom around and what I’ve been through with the older women at the house and Akito. I want to one day be able to go back to the house and not be bothered by the times of sorrow there.” My uncle listened to my thoughts that I was having about the road to recovery in terms of my mental health.

“I think that’s a very good idea for you. You’re so strong darling I know you acted like those things didn’t affect you by covering them with a laugh and a joke. But I also know that I want you to have a better life where you aren’t bothered by the lack of motherly guidance. I love you so much, what I truly want for you is to see yourself the way that everybody else can see you. I’ll talk to Gure about a counselor if you continue to stay at the house.” My ever understanding uncle told me and my heart lightened. He was such a strong and profound influence on my life. I almost couldn’t believe how much I had been through with him by my side.

“I’ve also decided that I want to honor my mother at the showcase and I’m going to perform Sad Lisa.” I told him simply and I watched as his eyes widened and heard his intake of breath. He took my hands from across the coffee table.

“Your mother used to sing that song to you when you were in her belly. I always thought that it was a beautifully tragic song. It described her relationship to you very well. She didn’t want to leave you behind but she also knew that it was the right thing to do. It was hardest on your dad. He didn’t want to have to be the one who remembered that time of his life but that’s what happened.” My boyfriend looked at me with a protective expression on his face. He wrapped his arms around my middle protecting me.

“I was kind of wondering what happened there; it just didn’t make any sense. How could she completely forget that she has a daughter?” My uncle sighed a little bit and he wiped the tears from his eyes.

“It’s a complicated story and it’s not really mine either. Hatori had suffered more than anything and it wasn’t even truly his fault. I blame Akito. It's one of the reasons that I left the house. I felt like I was being controlled and I didn’t like the idea of it. But not all of us really know what happened. The one who saw the aftermath was my other best friend Shigure. He can tell you more if you really want to know when you meet her other uncle. I can’t understand how Kana just clean forgot about her time with him either it just was one of those weird things that happened. Momiji went through a similar thing with his mother. She thinks that he’s the son of another member of the Sohma family.” I was proud of my uncle for not giving the full story. I knew that I would have to tell Kakeru one of these days but I would prefer to prolong that as long as possible.

“Enough depressing talk!! I want to talk about something more light and fluffy. I want to know about how you two first met the other day.” My uncle swiftly changed the subject in the way that only he could and I took a piece of the cheesecake that I had made.

“Our fabulous homeroom teacher Mrs. Tupling put us together with her as my new desk partner. I was told that she was deaf the day before but they had lied to me for the most part. I wasn’t expecting for when I got to class to see the cutest girl that I had ever seen in my entire life. When I heard her voice it was even cuter, this sort of shy but at the same time overly polite tone. She told me that you were the one that taught her to speak overly kind and formal. I instantly texted my mim and was like, my new desk neighbor is too cute and I can’t function.” I laughed at my boyfriend’s retelling of the story.

“I would pretty much describe it in a similar way. Lin and I had talked the night before about what I wanted out of a romantic relationship and I basically described him to a tee. When I saw this cute and adorable boy sit down next to me and introduce himself in this overly exuberant way I just knew that he was my perfect match.” I explained my part of the story in between bites of cake.

“That’s so precious!! I was the one that taught her how to speak overly polite because I always talk the same way. I was raised to think if you didn’t speak nicely then you would pay the penalty for it. My mom is overly strict about random things.” I laughed at my uncle as he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Speaking the same way that he does definitely got some confused looks from other members of the family. But I love the way that we talk together overly flowery and nicely even when we’re angry. My other uncle is a lot more… let’s say colorful in his speech.” I laughed at the memory of my uncle Shigure accidentally banging his foot on the top of the futon the other day. Let’s just say that there were about five curse words in a row and Kyo had jokingly covered my ears telling him that there was a baby in the house now and to watch his language.

“I love Gure but she does make a decent point. He’s always been more foulmouthed than I. It's kind of interesting how different me, him and Tori really are.” I laughed, shaking my head a little bit, filtering through my phone and finding a picture of them in high school.

“That’s my dad in the middle there obviously I look almost exactly like him. It’s something that I’m kind of thankful for because if I looked more like my mom well it would be a lot more complicated for him I feel. That’s my uncle Shigure and of course that loon is him when he was younger.” I pointed out the people in the picture and my boyfriend smiled a little bit at the visuals that I was painting for him.

“You three all look like you have such different personalities. Is your dad the overly serious type?” I nodded my head with a small laugh at my uncle’s pout on his face. He could be so childish about the funniest of things.

“Is he overly serious?! There is nobody more serious than Tori. He’s always getting on my case telling me that I’m being too loud for him.” I laughed at my uncle as he talked about how overly serious my dad could be.

“My dad is the overly serious and sarcastic type but he’s also got the kindest heart out of just about anybody that I know. He's super overprotective. I'm lucky that he doesn’t call me every five minutes.” I joked and uncle Aya laughed a little bit at me as we talked sort of trash about my dad. I sighed a little bit at this overly stressful last couple of days. Not really stressful but I had been doing a lot of socializing.

“How much people time have you had lately?” My uncle asked me and I cracked a small smile pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.

“A lot more than I would usually get back at home. I haven’t had much time to myself these last couple of days.” My uncle smiled at me getting up and I finished the rest of my cocoa that Mine had made for me.

“I think that you should go back home sweetheart. I know how you get when you spend too much time around people you tend to crash. Do you think that you can get her home Kakeru?” My boyfriend stood up putting his arm protectively around my shoulders drawing me into his side.

“Of course I can!! She showed me how to get to her house the other day. It’s a little bit of a trek but it’s actually a really lovely walk.” My uncle hugged me tightly to him and I melted into the embrace of one of my favorite people.

“You call me if you need anything okay?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face hugging him back.

“I promise I will call you. Thank you for everything both of you.” I thanked them for everything, taking my new Roger Rabbit things that they had made for me.

“Come back soon!!” Mine told the two of us as I walked with my boyfriend back to the train station and he walked me home.

“I loved meeting your uncle and Mine. They were amazing!!” I laughed a little bit at my boyfriend leaning my head against his shoulder as I saw my uncle’s house.

“They really are fabulous people. I'm glad that you felt accepted by them. I can’t wait for you to get to spend more time with us as a family. I spend next weekend with my uncle and have Mine help me get ready for our date day. She’s really good with a curling iron and I want her help.” My uncle waved to me from the house and my boyfriend kissed me gently at the top of the stairs.

“Thank you for walking me home my darling.” He hugged me tightly and I melted into the hug. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with him but I was exhausted for right now.

“You can get your rest now milady. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I was ready for this new exciting week of school. I couldn’t wait to spend more time by myself now that I was home though. I went up the rest of the stairs hearing my boyfriend doing GIR’s Doom song on the way down the stairs wondering how in the world I had found somebody that was so perfect for me.

“Is that your perfect match or what? Wasn’t that the doom song from Invader Zim?” I nodded my head with a bright smile on my face.

“Yep!! I’m beat now though I’ve spent too much time around people the last two days. That’s why uncle Aya sent me home early. I was having tea time with him but now I’m beat.” I leaned against him a little bit toeing off my shoes. He looked into my bag and smiled softly seeing the clothes that Mine had made for me.

“Another childhood favorite movie of yours. I’m surprised that you don’t have clothes for that one already. I’ll let you get some of your time though I know how tired you can get when you don’t get enough time for yourself. Kazuma will be here for your belt ceremony within the next couple of days. Then I heard something about another adventure to the mountains for Kyo.” I smiled softly, laughing a little bit sadly at the fact that Kyo would be gone again.

“I figured as much. I don’t know how me and Yuki are going to get along when it’s just the two of us. We haven’t really talked about what happened back when we were kids. I haven’t really known how to bring up what that hurt was like. It wasn’t just the whole joking thing calling me a whore like I grew to do but it was from somebody that was actually in my circle.” My uncle put his arm around my shoulders smiling sadly at me.

“I know that he hurt you and he knows it too but you’re both not the best with people. It’s hard for two people so socially awkward to meet in the middle and become close again. I can’t say that he regrets his actions but I do know that he didn’t mean to call you that. People say things that they don’t mean in that kind of situation. If he does do something, anything I recommend that you go to Aya’s.” I smiled softly at my uncle and he hugged me tightly to him. I sighed against the hug feeling a little bit better now that I was back at home.

“That’s what he told me, that’s where I went today with Kakeru. He insisted that I bring him by thankfully he wasn’t that embarrassing but bringing up the fact that he already has my wedding dress planned out was an awkward conversation.” He laughed a little bit at my situation and my utter embarrassment that had happened to me earlier today.

“I’ll bet that you turned the color of a ripe tomato. I wish I could have seen it.” I shoved him gently laughing at him.

“I’ll have you know that it was absolutely not funny. I was so humiliated but I love him so much. I want to continue to spend time with him. He asked me today if I would need him in the same way anymore. It broke my heart. I almost couldn’t believe that was my overly confident uncle that I was talking to. I’m not cooking tonight. I've been doing a ton of cooking the last few days and now I’m exhausted. We can order out if that’s what we have to do. But we’re going to be doing that a lot less now that I’m here.” I poked at his cheek and he just laughed a little bit at me as I got out my Roger hoodie. I put it on over my shoulders and zipped it up seeing that it was perfect.

“You take it easy sweet girl I know you’re dead tired you’ve done a lot these past couple of days. I got a call from Tori today, you're singing for Kana?” I nodded my head with a small smile on my face.

“I’m surprised that he was the one to tell you usually Aya’s the gossiper of the three of you that’s why I almost never tell him anything. I did decide to replace A Town With An Ocean View for Sad Lisa though that was the one that she always sang to me when I was in her belly. I wish I could have known her sometimes and then I’m glad that I don’t at some other points. I think if my dad hadn’t wiped her memory she would have turned into Momi’s mother.” I sighed against my uncle’s arm with a sad smile on my face.

“I think that it’s for the best that you and Kana didn’t get the chance to meet one another. I'm proud of you for getting through what you were able to. I think that you young lady are in dire need of a break and time to yourself. I’ll call you when I’m ready to order dinner?” I gave my uncle one last hug before I went up the stairs and flopped onto my bed. I got my headphones out of my backpack and put them over my ears. I put my Cat Stevens playlist on shuffle and just closed my eyes. I imagined so often of what my mother would be like. Would she be more like me? More like the polar opposite of my dad? I wondered if she would love me if she had gotten the opportunity to know me. It hurt that looking at Tohru and Hana-chan while their families were different they were still complete and happy. I grabbed my Tigger and hugged him tightly to me. I couldn’t help this overwhelming feeling of something that was coming up from inside of me. That something was about to change whether that be for better or for worse that was up for time to tell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These will be posted in batches of two so I can't say when the next one will be published probably before my birthday if I keep writing the way that I am with this fic!! So by the end of next month or by Halloween at the latest.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo boy it's been a while since I've posted anything!! I've been busy sort of working with school and hit a bit of a writing dry spell on most of my ongoing fics. I am still working with my My Hero Academia fic and my Iron Man one and they are works in progress that I haven't really touched in terms of writing. Anyways!! This idea came to me after watching Kakeru's preview in the last episode of the first season but I really started buckling down on it last month. I'm really proud of this one so I hope that you'll enjoy it!!


End file.
